The Playbill (#1 Circus Quest)

Author(s): Maureen Crisp

NZ Junior Fiction

Join Kestrel and Skye on a circus tour filled with codes, villains and danger!


A strange letter and code propels the circus into a tour they will never forget.The mysterious Puzzle Master has invited Circus Charles to once again compete to find the best circus in the world. But not everyone wants them to win. Will they be stopped like last time?


The Circus Quest Series follows a travelling circus on tour as they hunt down and solve clues to become Circus Challenge Champions. With codes, circus stunts and slapstick humour these books are sure to delight beginning independent readers.

Ruth's Review:


We had the pleasure of hosting the book launch for the first two books in Maureen Crisp's new series, Circus Quest, about the adventures of a travelling circus. The shop resembled a Big Top with a clown on stilts creating animal shapes from balloons, custard pies, a circus cake and juggling balls all featuring in the celebration.


The series focuses on Kestrel's and Sky's adventures with Circus Charles as they hunt down and solve clues to become Circus Challenge Champions. The books are filled with codes, stunts, slapstick humour and dastardly villains and feature black and white illustrations throughout the text, making them ideal for beginning independent readers aged 7+.


In the first story, The Playbill, a strange letter and code propels the circus into a tour they will never forget. The mysterious Puzzle Master has invited Circus Charles to once again compete to find the best circus in the world. But not everyone wants them to win. In Magician's Moustache (#2), Skye discovers that hanging upside down isn't always magic. With a guide rope on the Big Top snapped, the first show of the new tour is off to a bad start. The next clue is hidden in a clock but, unfortunately, the town of Papenton is filled with clocks.


Product Information

General Fields

  • : 9780473439767
  • : Marmac Media
  • : Marmac Media
  • : August 2018
  • : 20.30 cmmm X 12.70 cmmm X 0.60 cmmm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Maureen Crisp
  • : en
  • : 104