Maisie, the Girl Who Lost Her Head (Collins Red Storybooks)

Maisie's world falls apart on Coronation Day 1902. The boat on which she lived with her clog-dancing champion parents caught fire and Maisie becomes an orphan with only her pet marmoset, Max, for company. Maisie is sent to Canada to a foster family but she jumps ship [or rather the train bound for the docks!] and meets up with the Great Zapristi, master of illusion, man of a million secrets. She becomes his stage assistant -- the Princess Maisie -- and together they tour the country, playing to packed audiences. The climax of Zapristi's show is when he chops off the head of his pretty young assistant, to the audiences dismay. But never fear, Maisie lives to tell the tale. And what a tale, for she meets the King of England and finds the lost crown jewels!