• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

Ephemia Rimaldi is an irrepressible girl thrust into challenging circumstances. Effy's Great-aunt Ada has died, and her other relatives, a committee of vultures, are bent on stealing her education trust fund for themselves. Twelve-year-old Effy's only hope is to locate her long lost poppa—who has control of her fortune—before time runs out. But Phineas Rimaldi, the ringmaster of a travelling circus, seems an unlikely ally. Can Effy dazzle the ringmaster so he'll help her save her trust fund and her new friend—a circus elephant?

Set on the eve of the 20th century, when female performers were one of the earliest groups to demand equal pay for equal work, this historical adventure offers important themes for today's readers. The suffragist movement and early circus life serve as a backdrop for a feisty heroine who champions equality for all.

Linda DeMeulemeester is the author of the critically acclaimed Grim Hill series. The Secret of Grim Hill won the Silver Birch award in 2008, and her other books have been nominated or shortlisted for several awards, including the British Columbia Young Readers’ Choice Red Cedar Award, the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Diamond Willow Award, and the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award. Also a teacher, DeMeulemeester enjoys sharing her lifelong love of reading with children.

Linda DeMeulemeester's profile page

"Ephemia Rimaldi is a wonderful mix of adventure (Let's run away with the circus!), mystery (WHERE is the cursed sapphire?), and historical novel (?Circus workers were one of the first groups to demand equal pay for equal work?).
"I'm loath to add the word "educational" to the mix, as that seems just too dry for this bit of fun. But as with all my favourite reads as a young person, I always appreciated those I learned from, especially when the learning was absorbed with a spoonful of story-sugar.
"Ephemia Rimaldi illustrates friendship and connection, not to mention valuing and honouring others."
— The British Columbia Review