Carter and the Curious Maze: Weird Stories Gone Wrong by Philippa Dowding

Carter is finding the circus amazingly boring.  All the things that used to scare him, don't.  None of the curiosities appeal to him.  Maybe he's getting too old to go to the circus.  But then he finds a new exhibit, it's a maze.  That might be fun...

Dundurn and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 30th.

Walking in the maze, he meets Mr. Green.  Mr. Green has garden shears and is trimming the maze.  He tells him he can take any path he wants but he can't turn around and come back, he has to always move forward.  As he starts into the maze, he has second thoughts.  But the branches block him and won't let him go back.  So forward he goes.

There are other people in the maze.  He finds a young boy from an earlier time in history, meets a girl who is more wood than human and he finds fighting soldiers from the Revolutionary War.  What's going on?

The further he goes, the more confusing it is.  His fear is growing and Mr. Green is pleased with that.  When he finds a way out, he's pleased to see the rock that is there in his world.  Then he finds out that he's back with his soldiers, who are trying to kill each other.  He has the young boy with him, so he tries to keep him safe.  They almost die in an explosion, so he's plenty scared now.

As he searches for a way out you wonder if he will become another lost person in the maze.  After all, he's lost his sister, the maze moves through time and Mr. Green is always around with his clippers.  Too bad Mr. Green won't help...

This is tantalizing tale with excitement spread throughout.  I'd suggest you don't think things are so boring you wish something else would happen because it just might.