The Boy Who Could Fly — Joy Wodhams

A bomb hit Jamie Bird's house during WW2, killing both his parents and trapping Jamie beneath the rubble for hours. Half conscious, he dreamed of flying through the air on a swing with long, long ropes, and the dream comforted him.Now his only relative is an elderly great-aunt a long train journey away, who agrees reluctantly to give him a new home. There, hidden away in a suitcase full of faded photographs he discovers a Victorian circus poster depicting a young trapeze artist. When he learns that the 16 year old flyer, known as 'Una', was his great-aunt's brother, killed tragically while performing in 1891, Jamie's dreams become more frequent and obsessive.When he visits his first circus he realises this is what he wants to be. A flyer like Una. And when his great-aunt threatens to send him to boarding school he decides to run away. To the circus.A magical adventure story for 10 to 14 year old readers.