Smoke has come to the Cirque Magnifique. And Sasha Brown is sure it is her fault.

Sasha has always loved the Cirque, a place filled with sequined costumes, dazzling spotlights, and magnificent tents. But when she starts fifth grade with the Islandersthe ordinary folk from the other side of the Islandfor the first time, she starts to question her home and her Cirque family. Is the magic real? Are the stories even true? Faced with the Island kids bullying and scorn, Sasha isnt so sure she wants to be a Cirque kid anymore, and the swirling, blue-gray Smoke appears.

One night in the big tent, Sashas dad performs, twisting his body through the air as the lights dance. Sasha is supposed to be helping, but instead she sits beneath the bleachers, seething. She wishes for the Smoke to come and make it all disappear: the Cirque, her family, the Island with its mean Island kids. And the Smoke does come. As Sasha watches her dad, he flips and raises his arms out for the bar that is supposed to meet him, his bright grin confident and sure. But there is only airand Smoke.

Both of Sashas parents disappear that night, and its all Sashas fault. What can she do but try and find themeven if her journey takes her to the end of the world?

K.D. Halbrook is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novelsEvery Last Promise, whichKirkus Reviewscalled lyrically written and ebbing with suspense in a starred review, andNobody but Us, whichBooklistdeemed raw, immediate, and utterly unflinching.Smoke and Mirrorsis her first middle grade novel, andBCCBcalled it rewarding in a starred review. Halbrook is the cofounder of the popular website YAHighway.com and lives with her family in Seattle. She can be found online at KristinHalbrook.com and on Twitter @KristinHalbrook.

Author: K.D> HalbrookFormat:PaperbackProduct dimensions:240 pages, 7.63 X 5.13 X 0.7 inPublished:July 28, 2020Publisher:Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman BooksRecommended for ages 8-12.