From celebrated author Kathy Kacer comes the story of Irene, a young Jewish girl raised at the circus in Nazi Germany, who must perform the balancing act of her life to keep herself and her mother alive.

Irene grew up traveling around Germany with her family’s circus, surrounded by her loved ones and thrilling the crowds with her performance on the high wire...until one day, the audience boos. The Lorch family is Jewish, and the increasing power of Adolf Hitler’s Nazis has put them all in grave danger.

When the circus is forced to shut down and Irene’s father is taken away, Irene and her mother must go into hiding with another circus. Every day is a frightening new kind of balancing act, caught between the desire to perform and the need to hide—even in plain sight.

Key Selling Points

• A young Jewish girl and her mother are forced into hiding when the increasing power of Adolf Hitler’s Nazis puts them in grave danger. The girl and her mother go into hiding within another circus when their own is shut down, and her Christian father is forced to fight alongside the Nazis.
• Explores the unique setting of circus life during World War II and the struggles and contradictions Irene faces when performing while also in hiding.
• Kathy Kacer has won many awards for her writing, including the Silver Birch, the Red Maple, the Hackmatack, and the Jewish Book Award.
• Kathy is the editor of We Are Their Voice: Young People Respond to the Holocaust.
• Anti-Jewish hate crimes are on the rise in North America: understanding the Holocaust is key to educating young people.