Angelo and his family travel round Italy and entertain town's people with their balancing and dancing on ropes. During one performance Angelo notices a young girl watching from a window and ultimately rescues her from her miserable life.
The story is a very traditional one and doesn't stand out as different but what really makes this book (as you'd expect) are the beautiful illustrations which really bring it to life. I also like that Angelo, who is the hero of the story, is a middle child and I'd recommend it for these two things alone.
It's Quentin Blake, you can't really go wrong!