Catch Me When I Fall, Hardcover

Set in Racine, Wisconsin, during the Great Depression, Catch Me When I Fall is the story of one gutsy twelve-year-old girl's quest to learn the identity of her father, the father her mother refuses to talk about. What's the big secret? When Emma finds a photograph hidden in her mother's bureau AND spots a circus poster featuring Filippo the Flying Wonder, she believes she's stumbled on the truth. The aerialist's resemblance to the man in the secret photo is too close to be coincidence. Rebelling against her mother's warning not to go near the circus, Emma disguises herself as a boy and lands a job with the circus, determined to unravel the dark mystery that haunts her. It is here, amidst the sawdust and illusions of circus life, that Emma makes discoveries about her past that ultimately help her accept herself for who she truly is.

Author of dozens of children's books, both fiction and non-fiction, and professional books on teaching reading, Bonnie Graves spent her growing-up years in Wisconsin and Southern California. A former elementary school teacher, Bonnie's work has been honored with Work-in-Progress grants from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Minnesota Arts Board, first place in literary contests sponsored by the Loft Literary Center and also the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and her chapter book, Taking Care of Trouble, received a South Carolina Children's Choice Award. She currently lives in Bloomington, Minnesota.