Train Wreck Kansas, 1892

When their circus train wrecking unleashes dangerous beasts, two young performers must fight to live through the night in this gripping entry in the historical fiction middle grade Survivors series.

The circus is the first home where Maximo has ever felt safe. He dreams of becoming an animal trainer and envies Jodi—a girl who was born and raised in the circus and is already an accomplished performer. But ever since Jodi’s mom was injured, Jodi has been unable to get back on the high wire.

When a train wreck sets a herd of elephants and a dangerous Bengal tiger loose on the countryside, both Max and Jodi must face their worst fears. Can they conquer their terror and survive the longest night of their lives?

Kathleen Duey’s works include the middle grade American Diaries and Survivors series, as well as the well-reviewed chapter book series The Unicorn’s Secret and its companion series, The Faeries’ Promise. She is also the National Book Award–nominated author of Skin Hunger. She lives in Fallbrook, California.

Karen A. Bale grew up in southern California and graduated from the University California Riverside. She has written seventeen historical romances, including the successful seven-book Sweet Medicine’s Prophecy series. She has done freelance work for several years, including helping to write two nonfiction books. Karen still resides in southern California, ten miles from the Pacific Ocean.