Introducing Finnigan the Circus Cat, a series of chapter books for young readers centering on a rescue kitten who finds a home in a small town Wisconsin circus museum. Written and illustrated by author Mary T. Wagner, the award-winning series—aimed at readers aged 7 to 10 and the grownups who love to read with them—was inspired by a real-life rescue kitten also named Finnigan, as well as one of Wagner’s daughters, who is a contemporary circus aerialist.
Wagner said several elements of her chapter book series, “Finnigan the Circus Cat,” were drawn from collections at Circus World. “I am absolutely enchanted by the artistry and creativity in those vintage wagons, and so when I set out to write a series, I knew from the start that one of the books was going to have to center on an old circus wagon,” she said.
The first book in the series, “Finnigan the Circus Cat,” was published in June 2016. It follows the adventures of Finnigan, a rescue kitten who befriends two “circus mice” as he makes his home in an old circus museum.
“Finnigan and the Lost Circus Wagon,” the second book of the series details a run-in Finnigan and his companions have with two shady characters who plan to steal a priceless treasure hidden in one of the museum’s circus wagons. The third volume in the series, “Finnigan the Lionhearted”, will be published this summer.
Photo: the ‘real’ Finnigan and Mary
The ‘real’ Finnigan sadly passed last year very unexpectedly, but there’s another rescue cat in the Wagner family to fill the void. Wagner said her stories are intended to show modern kids the excitement of the circus while teaching them important life lessons. One such lesson is that “the family you make can be just as important as the family you come from,” Wagner said.
We spoke with Mary and she was kind enough to offer 5 copies of Finnigan the Circus Cat (Book 1) for five lucky Purrington Post readers to win.
*Contest Closed
This contest ended on February 19th, 2018 and was available to US residents only. Entrants needed to submit a comment in our “Leave a Reply” section at the bottom of this page saying:
My cat’s name is [insert your cat’s name] and if he/she performed in the circus, her/his special act would be [insert your cat’s unique circus skill]
The 5 winners were chosen by the author (Mary T. Wagner) from all the correctly submitted entries and contacted by email.
BUY A COPY
You can order Books 1 and 2 on Amazon now (links below)
Finnigan and the Lost Circus Wagon
My cat’s name is Boots and if he performed in the circus, his special act would be catching treats in the air with his paws, then bringing them to his mouth.
My cat’s name is Juneau and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be jumping and flipping off of the walls (which she does at roughly 12 years of age!)!
My cat’s name is Miss Waikiki and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be poofing up faster than any cat and largest poofed tail.
My cat’s name is Kitty and if he performed in the circus, his special act would be waving his front paws while standing on his hind legs while he is standing on my dogs back as he walking. lol
My cat’s name is Tabitha and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be hair care services — complete with scalp massage and lots of drool and purrs.
My cat’s name is Ali and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be high wire tail chasing! She loves to get on the top platform of her cat tree (which is pretty small) and chase her tail.
My cat’s name is Buddie Kittie and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be rolling on her back everytime she see you to have her belly rubbed. (that’s OK she’s a senior cat)
My cat’s name is Kitty and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be playing with a cat toy too long and tiring herself out!
My cat’s name is Thomas and if he performed in the circus, his special act would be finding the hidden treats!
My cat’s name is Packard, and if he performed in the circus, his special act would be running on the giant cat wheel and singing (he’s deaf, so his meows sound like very loud songs).
My cat’s name is Suha and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be hiding and miraculously reappearing a la Houdini! Thanks for the chance to win!
I have two cats- Fred and Ginger. Fred is a champion snore cat, he snores so loud you can hear him from accross the room.
My cat’s name is Lucy and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be walking the high wire! She loves to scamper above the refrigerator cabinets up high! Moses’ circus act would galloping like a puppy!
My cat’s name is Riki Tiki and if she performed in the circus, her special act would be fetch and carry. She luvs to bring me cat toys so I can throw them for her to fetch!
My cat’s names are Hopper, Magoo, and Peanut and if they performed in the circus their special act would be jumping into my arms and launching off my back onto a passing horse. All were born outside.
My cat’s name is Mimi and if she were in the circus she would perform a high wire act because she loves to be high on the beams in our cathedral ceiling living room!
My cats’ names are Candy, Joey, Mickey and Shayna. If and they performed in the circus, their act would be the Flying Felines, a la the Flying Tuniziani! (They’ve perfected their act *almost* like Ammed Tuniziani, complete with somersaults). They have also learned a few tricks from my circus tiger trainer friends, including the rollover. But unfortunately, I can never get them on camera!
My cats name is Teiki and if he performed in the circus, his special act would be as a trapeze artist on the high wire!! He loves to jump up high and he is always looking up for new things to climb on up to!!
My cats name is Lucy and if she performed in the circus she would perform her rollover acrobatic act she does on the counter
My cat’s name is Harley she performed in the circus, her special act would be walking the high wire.
My cat’s name is Milky and if he performed in the circus, his special act would be handing out the popcorn.
My cat’s name is Jeffurry and if he performed in the circus, his special act would be acting like a clown.
My cat’s name is Smokey and if he/she performed in the circus, her/his special act would be the Ring Leader!