Ten Thumb Sam by Rachel Muller

Chapter One
    Sam put his foot on the bottom rung of the long wire ladder and looked up. “I can do this,” he whispered.
    â€œWhat’s that?” his brother Andrew asked.
    â€œNothing,” said Sam. He swallowed. From this distance the high wire looked like a long piece of dental floss.
    â€œIf you’re not ready,” said Andrew, “we can try again tomorrow.”
    â€œI’m ready.” Sam took a deep breath and began to climb, painfully aware that his entire family was watching him.
    â€œI’m right behind you,” Andrew said.
    Learning to walk the high wire had seemed like a good idea to Sam a few months ago. But back then the practice wire was just a few inches off the ground. Andrew had helped Sam take his first teetering steps.Sam worked hard every day until he could make it across the practice wire without falling. He’d looked more like a toddler taking his first steps than a tight-rope walker, but Andrew had assured him he would get more confident with time.
    Sam wasn’t feeling confident now, even with a harness and a safety rope to save him if he fell. His arms and legs were trembling. The higher he climbed, the more his body shook. “Uh, Andrew?” he said as his head drew even with the small wooden platform at the top of the ladder.
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œI’m stuck,” said Sam, trying not to panic.
    â€œWhat do you mean, you’re stuck?” his brother asked.
    â€œI mean I can’t let go of the last rung. My hands won’t budge.”
    â€œTake a deep breath,” said Andrew. “You’ll be fine.”
    â€œI don’t think so,” Sam said through clenched teeth.
    â€œDon’t worry,” said Andrew. “Everyone’s nervous their first time up here. Just whatever you do, don’t look down.”
    Sam immediately looked down and saw his mother, his father, his brother Martin, and his sisters Elizabeth,Louise and Annabel. They looked impossibly small. Sam felt his stomach heave. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
    â€œWait—,” said Andrew.
    It was too late. Sam’s breakfast was already on its way up—and down.
    â€œLooks like Elizabeth and Louise got the worst of it,” Andrew said as he helped Sam descend. He shook his head. “Wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when the twins catch up with you!”
    Back on firm ground, Sam made straight for the Stringbini family bus. There were six narrow beds tucked into the back of the converted school bus. Sam and his two older brothers slept in the three curtained-off beds on the bottom level, and his sisters slept in the three bunks on the top. It wasn’t your typical domestic arrangement, but then the Stringbinis weren’t your typical family.
    Each member of the Stringbini family had an important role in the Triple Top Circus. Each member, that is, except Sam. Sam’s father, Magic Max, was a magician who helped manage the small circus. Sam’s mother, Irene, was famous for the daring trapeze act she performed with Elizabeth and Louise, Sam’s fourteen-year-old twin sisters. Sixteen-year-oldAndrew was the star of the Triple Top high wire. Thirteen-year-old Martin juggled colorful balls and flaming rings while balancing on a unicycle. Even Annabel had a role. Sam’s six-and-a-half-year-old sister was Magic Max’s assistant. The crowds loved Annabel, although Sam could never quite figure out why. Maybe it was her dimples and her blond ringlets. And the fact that they never saw her stamp her feet or pout when she didn’t get her way.
    Sam was the only one who didn’t have an act. He was clumsy, forever tripping, stumbling and bumping into things. Because he was “all thumbs,” Louise and Elizabeth had nicknamed their youngest brother “Ten Thumb” Sam. He was six years old the first time he heard this nickname. He had been so angry, he almost