Book excerpt: Esme is seriously bored of all the work and practice her mother keeps insisting she does in order to perfect her circus performance. So when an idea forms in Esme's head of adding some fun animals to her performance, she knows just who to call ... her cousins at Maclinkey Castle who have all manner of odd pets. With little rehearsal Esme and her act perform on the high wire. But disaster strikes and her co-stars tumble to the ground. Donk won't wake up and now everyone in town thinks that Circus Miranda is cruel to animals. What can Esme do to stop the crowds from leaving the circus? The answer lies in her punishment of being made to run the lowly sweet treats stand and being banned from performing. With a little bit of maple syrup, chocolate, caramel and a dash of teamwork, surely the kids can tempt the crowds back...?