Mr Majeika Joins the Circus

Humphrey Carpenter's Mr Majeika Joins the Circus is a magical school story for 6 year olds where a class trip goes wobbly in every sense.

What happens

Class Three's teacher used to be a wizard. He isn't supposed to do magic any more (although he still sneaks a bit in at home when nobody's looking). So when the class gets free tickets to Tottle's Circus, you can probably guess where this is heading.

The circus is tired and a bit sad. The old elephant wanders round the ring and then goes off for a nap. The strong man's iron bar turns out to be wood and plastic, and Hamish Bigmore, the naughtiest boy in the class, shows the whole audience!

Then Billy Balance steps out on to the slack rope, and he's wobbling for real. Mr Majeika can't bear to watch him fall. So he helps. Just a little.

The trouble is, Billy wants that help every single night. When Mr Majeika says no, he ends up locked in a caravan on the way to London. And back at school, Class Three find their classroom turning into a circus tent full of lions.

It's silly in the best way. Mr Majeika's toothbrush squeezes out its own toothpaste and nags him about his teeth. His alarm clock is a crow. And Mr Potter the head teacher never notices anything magical at all, even when it's right there on the teatime news (which is VERY funny when you're six).

Hamish is brilliant too. He's rude, he boos the clown and he's quite sure he could do everything better himself. Who doesn't know a Hamish?

There's a sweeter thread running underneath. Billy has lost his nerve and he's scared of messing up in front of everyone. That's a feeling plenty of children will recognise, and the book is kind about it.

What to read next

If your reader likes their magic mixed up with ordinary school life, this is a lovely one to share. And if they want more of Class Three, the very first Mr Majeika book is in the library too, where a new teacher flies in through the classroom window on a magic carpet on a wet Monday morning.