Maisie - Gyles Daubeney Brandreth

Another rip-roaring adventure set in the Showbiz world of the Edwardian era and a superb follow up to Max, the Boy Who Made a Million. Maisie's world falls apart on Coronation Day 1902. The boat on which she lived with her clog-dancing champion parents caught fire and Maisie becomes an orphan with only her pet marmoset, Max, for company. Maisie is sent to Canada to a foster family but she jumps ship [or rather the train bound for the docks!] and meets up with the Great Zapristi, master of illusion, man of a million secrets. She becomes his stage assistant -- the Princess Maisie -- and together they tour the country, playing to packed audiences. The climax of Zapristi's show is when he chops off the head of his pretty young assistant, to the audiences dismay. But never fear, Maisie lives to tell the tale. And what a tale, for she meets the King of England and finds the lost crown jewels! This is sure to spark the imagination of every 7 -- 9 year old. The story captures the excitement of a contemporary Paul Daniel's show, combined with the memory of a man at the end of The 39 Steps -- a classic story of a while ago!;Gyles Brandreth is a superb storyteller of adult's and children's novels. Red Storybooks are short novels for confident young readers, in a variety of genres. This title fits in with the Literacy Hour Strategy for Year 4, terms 1 and 2.