The book was vivid and imaginative, and it captured my attention from the beginning, but obligations to read other books kept me from finishing this one as quickly as I would have otherwise. Gruen obviously researched this topic thoroughly so the reader has to run away with the circus along with the main character. My only complaint is that the climax of the story comes so late in the book that the resolution for the main characters seems a bit hastily put together, and I wish Rosie, the elephant had been introduced much earlier in the book. Despite this, I would readily recommend this book to a friend.