When a group of young performers take on the world’s greatest showman, can their abilities overcome his power?

In an alternate 1899, Solomon Hunt leaves home after his father’s death to seek income for his family, only to stumble into the adventure of a lifetime when he rescues the Seer, a young genius showman, from captivity in a sideshow.

Together, the duo flee across the terrifying, entertainment-obsessed Empire of America, evading a group of vicious pursuers led by Leopold J. Coop, who not only dominates the Empire through his circus-like extravaganzas, but seeks to be president too.

From Buffalo to New Orleans, Denver to Los Angeles, and everywhere in between, Solomon and the Seer befriend and recruit diverse young performers trapped in shows, including a human cannonball, a giant acrobat, a blues musician, an outlaw gunslinger, a talking gorilla, and more. As Coop closes in and vile secrets are revealed, the ragtag troupe prepare an explosive, groundbreaking performance intended to save them all.

• A thrilling action-adventure featuring a ragtag ensemble cast, a cat-and-mouse chase with a powerful villain, and the daring and dangerous world of show biz.
• Set in an alternate history where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated before he became president and America devolved further into a discriminatory, dangerous, and distraction-obsessed dystopia.
• Themes: cooperation, inclusion, the fragility of history (how a small change can make a big impact), historical discrimination faced by marginalized communities, and child labor exploitation in the show biz.
• Shane Peacock is a seven-time winner of the Junior Library Guild of America Selection, twice winner of the Arthur Ellis Award, has been shortlisted for the Governor-General’s Award, three times for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book prize, and has been named to Kirkus Reviews’ annual Best Books list.
• Peacock has experience walking on the high wire himself, standing on the edge of skyscrapers with “Prince of the Air” Jay Cochrane, a famed Canadian tightrope walker and six-time Guiness World Record holder.
• Peacock has written about circuses in his book The Great Farini, about trying circus feats in Toronto Life, and about a side show in Coney island for Shift magazine.