{"product_id":"chronicles-of-whetherwhy-the-season-of-flames-isbn-9780593691939","title":"Chronicles of Whetherwhy: The Season of Flames","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe second adventure in the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling Chronicles of Whetherwhy series from acclaimed author Anna James. Perfect for fans of \u003ci\u003eSkandar and the Unicorn Thief, Impossible Creatures, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eGreenwild\u003c\/i\u003e!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt Circus Astra, Elio helps his father look after \"tangles\"—magical creatures woven together with threads of magic to become miniature tigers, mice with butterfly wings, and a peacock made of ice crystals. Always on the move, the circus puts on incredible performances across the land of Whetherwhy under the stern eye of their ringleader.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut after a mysterious visitor arrives at one of their performances, Elio discovers that he has something the queen of Whetherwhy wants;  something she will stop at nothing to get. Elio must leave the circus behind and team up with some unexpected friends, as his journey takes him to the very edges of Whetherwhy in search of a way to restore the magical balance of the island.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Season of Flames\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A high-stakes . . . magical journey that’s brimming with messages of friendship and acceptance.\" \u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eChronicles of Whetherwhy: The Season of Flames\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A high-stakes . . . magical journey that’s brimming with messages of friendship and acceptance.\" \u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eChronicles of Whetherwhy: The Age of Enchantment\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An enchanting exploration of a new magical world anchored in family and friendship.\" –\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Fans of the magic school genre will enjoy this series opener.\" –\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An irresistibly magical new world as marvelously immersive as Narnia!\" –\u003cb\u003eCATHERINE DOYLE, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Storm Keeper's Island\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A magical world full of wonder. An irresistible tale that will leave readers of all ages enchanted and entranced.\" \u003cb\u003e–KATIE TSANG, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDragon Mountain\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An enthralling adventure.\" –\u003cb\u003ePARI THOMSON\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eauthor of \u003ci\u003eGreenwild\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnna James\u003c\/b\u003e is the acclaimed author of the Pages \u0026amp; Co. series. As a journalist, she writes for a variety of newspapers and magazines, and chairs events at bookshops and literary festivals across the UK. She lives in London, in a flat full of books. You can visit Anna James at Anna-James.com or follow her on Instagram @ACaseForBooksChapter 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe thing about living in a circus is that every day is the same and every day is different. Every few days, you’re traveling to a new town or city and the air feels colder or hotter or drier or saltier. There’s the itchy, unsettled feeling of a village that isn’t quite sure what it thinks about circuses and their folk or the fizzy excitement of a welcoming town, where the breeze almost seems to smell of popcorn before the kernels have started popping. But the shape of Elio Gale’s days was less varied. There were travel days and show days and occasionally rest days, but they all revolved round the routines of the animals he cared for—both the non-magical beasts that carried them from place to place and the enchanted Tangles that performed in the show.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Are the creatures ready?” a voice shouted from somewhere outside the tent where Elio was preparing the magical animals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ready when you are,” he called back as he cast an eye over tonight’s stars: miniature tigers practicing their roars that sent out little bursts of fire and soot, peacocks with tail feathers made of ice crystals that never melted, and Elio’s personal favorite, the mice who looked entirely normal—apart from the beautiful wings that sprang from their backs. People flocked from\u003cbr\u003enear and far to see the incredible Tangles of Circus Astra. They were all\u003cbr\u003emade by ringleader and enchanter Stella, who was an expert at manipulating\u003cbr\u003ethe threads of magic that made up the island of Whetherwhy. Stella\u003cbr\u003ewove and unraveled Tangles as she pleased and impatiently assured Elio\u003cbr\u003ethat they were more than happy to perform in the circus, for they were,\u003cbr\u003eas their name indicated, mere tangles of enchantment. And, regardless of\u003cbr\u003ewhat Elio thought, everything at Circus Astra was decided by Stella.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElio handed the Tangles to the newest trapeze artist, Colt, who gave\u003cbr\u003ea thumbs-up and disappeared into the big top with the mice fluttering\u003cbr\u003earound his ears, the tigers at his feet, and the icy peacocks stalking haughtily\u003cbr\u003ebehind him. When Colt had come to find work with Circus Astra,\u003cbr\u003eStella had asked him, as she asked all new recruits, what his magic was,\u003cbr\u003efor everyone in Whetherwhy had a little bit of magic that grew from one\u003cbr\u003eof the seasons. Not many were enchanters like Stella, and she preferred\u003cbr\u003eto employ those with summer magic in their veins, because summer was\u003cbr\u003ethe magic of revelation and celebration, warmth and sharing, and it lent\u003cbr\u003eitself to performance and confidence. And tonight was particularly rich\u003cbr\u003ewith it as it was the Summer Ember Day, the celebration that marked the\u003cbr\u003ebeginning of the season. Potent with magic and joy, the circus was decked\u003cbr\u003eout with extra decorations in gold and pink and purple alongside its usual\u003cbr\u003ecelestial-themed banners and hangings.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe four seasonal Ember Days always made Elio feel a little odd, but\u003cbr\u003ethe Summer Ember Day in particular gave him a sort of tug in his stomach.\u003cbr\u003eHe’d wondered if this meant he had summer magic, but he was unlikely\u003cbr\u003eto ever know, as, despite the fact that he had turned thirteen in time for the\u003cbr\u003elast round of magical tests, no letter had come for him from the Council of\u003cbr\u003eMonths to invite him to attend, and his father hadn’t taken him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Just an administrative error, I’m sure,” his father, Jonah, had said,\u003cbr\u003ewithout meeting his eye. “We’ll sort it out when we get a quiet moment, but it doesn’t change who you are inside. I sometimes wonder if any of us really need to know.” But that quiet moment never came. The circus was always busy and always moving, and Jonah never mentioned it again.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFifteen minutes later, a breathless Colt emerged again from the big top at\u003cbr\u003ethe tent flap where Elio was waiting to take the Tangles from him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“There’s nothing like the thrill of the applause,” Colt said, a sheen of\u003cbr\u003esweat on his tanned forehead. “Never wished you could get into the ring\u003cbr\u003eyourself ?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Oh no.” Elio laughed. “I like it much better backstage. I don’t like\u003cbr\u003ebeing the center of attention. Much prefer looking after this lot.” One of\u003cbr\u003ethe mice fluttered up and landed on his shoulder, and Elio gave it a gentle\u003cbr\u003estroke.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Each to their own,” Colt said, downing a tankard of water from the\u003cbr\u003ebarrel that stood by the tent flap for that purpose. “I wouldn’t change it for\u003cbr\u003ethe world, though. I was in a theater in Saltgate before I came here, but I\u003cbr\u003efancied something a bit less proper, and when you were last in town, I knew\u003cbr\u003ethis was perfect. Do you go through Saltgate much?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Every few years,” Elio said, a little distracted as he tried to keep track\u003cbr\u003eof the tiny tigers, who were a distinct fire risk. “There’s never much time\u003cbr\u003eto explore, though. You know how it is.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Saltgate’s a great place,” Colt said, putting the tankard down and\u003cbr\u003edunking his whole head into the barrel. “Not as grand as Stormgrove, of\u003cbr\u003ecourse, but all the better for it. Being the second city of the island means\u003cbr\u003eyou get all the fun of a big place, but everyone takes themselves a little\u003cbr\u003eless seriously. It has a mischievous spirit, does Saltgate—next time we pass\u003cbr\u003ethrough I’ll show you its charms. Were you tucked away back here last time\u003cbr\u003eyou passed through?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Yep.” Elio nodded. “Jonah and I have been here since I was a baby,\u003cbr\u003eand I’ve been looking after the animals since I was old enough to be useful.”\u003cbr\u003eBut before he could go on, one of the tiny tigers sent a spark of fire onto the edge of the tent and Elio had to stamp it out. He gave the miniature\u003cbr\u003etiger a stern glare, and it looked appropriately chastened.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Thanks for your help,” Colt said with a broad smile and a pat on\u003cbr\u003eElio’s shoulder. “I’ll see you in the mess tent for grub after the show?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Almost definitely.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOnce the Tangles were safely back in their variously equipped cages and\u003cbr\u003eboxes, Elio went to peep through the tent flap to watch the end of the\u003cbr\u003eshow. Stella was wearing her customary outfit of top hat, slim black trousers,\u003cbr\u003eknee-high boots, a crisp white shirt, and a black jacket with tails, embroidered\u003cbr\u003ewith the patterns of the night sky in gold and silver thread. As\u003cbr\u003eit was Ember Day, she had added a purple silk scarf round her neck and a\u003cbr\u003epink flower in her bright white hair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“My dear friends,” she called, her voice amplified by an enchanted\u003cbr\u003espeaking horn. “We are coming to the end of tonight’s performance. We\u003cbr\u003eare honored you have chosen to celebrate your Summer Ember Day here\u003cbr\u003ewith all of us, and we are delighted to have shared it with you. This is our\u003cbr\u003efinal night here in Arrowfell, and we hope you have had a magnificent\u003cbr\u003etime. Circus Astra will return, but for now, my friends, please welcome\u003cbr\u003eback the stars of Circus Astra for one last display of wonder!”","brand":"Flamingo Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233028092133,"sku":"NP9780593691939","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593691939.jpg?v=1767723724","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/chronicles-of-whetherwhy-the-season-of-flames-isbn-9780593691939","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}