this to my kids and they loved it, Its a bit mature as it deals with the hardships of both the circus and the climate/culture of the time period.
Overall it was an awesome book, just like the author! ed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo, com
Twelveyearold troublemaker Owen is so different from his little brother, Zach, that he knows Zach would stand a much greater chance of being adopted from the Orphan Train without him.
When the train leaves Pittsburgh, Owen slips away and jumps, leaving his future to the winds,
Before the night is over, he finds himself invited aboard a circus boat by a kindly black man named Solomon.
. . and nearly drowned in the river when the circus owner discovers Owen catching a show for free, Solomon convinces Hathaway, the owner, to let Owen stay aboard as Solomon's assistant in tending the animals and cleaning the boat.
Thus, Owen becomes a hired hand on the River Palace,
Life in the circus isn't quite what Owen would have thought it would be, but it grows to become more of a home to him than the orphanage had ever been.
From the misunderstood baby elephant, Little Bet, to Caleb, another boy on the boat who reminds him so much of Zach, Owen manages to find a place within his newfound family.
But as the circus heads south towards New Orleansa town plagued with yellow fever, bad storms, and people who think every black man is as good as a slaveOwen will need to decide where his heart and loyalties lie, and choose the road his life will travel.
Full of rich description in an exciting atmosphere and turbulent time in American history, Zimmer brings out a complete cast of very real characters and heartwrenching situations.
THE FLOATING CIRCUS is a masterful work to be enjoyed by anyone between the ages ofand,
The preCivil War world that twelve year old Owen finds himself in, after he breaks his his ties with the Pittsburgh orphanage, is unfriendly and foreboding not much different from his early years with his family.
Chance steers Owen into a job as an assistant stable hand for a circus situated on a riverboat, Life here has its own challenges, but, under the patient tutelage of the exslave who manages the stables, Owen comes to understand some of the challenges his parents faced, as well as catching a broader understanding of the meaning of family.
Tracie Vaughn Zimmer captures a rich, yet roughhewn culture of circus life in a volatile time, In Owen she portrays a young man growing from youth to manhood in his activities, attitudes, and choices,
possible spoilers This historical fiction has some wonderful descriptive language the similes that the main character, Owen, uses are worth a look in itself.
The author aptly uses the language of a boy growing up as the story is narrated it's not overdone, it draws you into his thoughts.
The riverboat circus was based on a real one, and many of the details in the book are historicallybased, and those details make the story better.
Some readers may not be totally happy with the ending, but I appreciated that the author didn't make it a pretty pony party where everyone gets everything they want and went for something a little bit more realistic.
I would not call it a sad ending though, by far, To give his younger brother a better chance at being adopted by a nice family, Owen runs away from the orphanage and happens upon a strange sight.
A huge boat on the river is carrying a whole circus, One thing leads to another, and Owen joins the crew, A historical set in thes, the story offers small glimpses of the hardships inherent to this era, Slave trade and sideshow freaks, Sweeping sicknesses and too many mouths to feed, Kind souls and tough choices,
It's always frustrating when the publisher's summary doesn't actually match the story, Owen doesn't find a family with the crew, He remains on the fringes, . . and spends a large portion of the book stubbornly avoiding Solomon, the aging black man who stands up for him, then saves his life.
What's more, Zimmer ends the story without actually dealing with a major plot point, which left me frustrated and disappointed.
Sure, real life isn't tidy or fair, but I prefer stories that resolve, In, thirteenyearold Owen makes a difficult choice to abandon his brother on an Orphan Train, in hopes that he will be adopted by a good family, and shortly thereafter finds himself working aboard a circus ship.
An interesting look at the circus' of the time, Might upset sensitive children with a couple of brutal scenes involving animals, An enjoyable book, but nothing special, It reads like a "Water For Elephants" for a younger audience, An appended authors note explains her real life inspiration for the story, which bumps the book up a notch, I liked this book for so many reasons, I enjoyed the historical details that were woven into the story, Obviously, the reader is exposed to life on a circus riverboat, In addition, there is information about the horrors of slavery, orphanages, and the yellow fever epidemics of the early's.
Owen, a thirteen year old boy, experiences all of these things and more, In the process he learns understanding and forgiveness, He also learns that if you are fortunate enough to be free, your choices and the chances you take impact the path your life will take.
A very empowering concept for a young orphaned boy in, The very serious topics are balanced with humor and hope which make this book very enjoyable, Owen realizes that his brother, Zach, will have a better chance being adopted from the orphanage where they live if he is not burdened by an older brother.
So Owen runs away and joins the River Palace, a floating circus, Here he finds a home and a new family that includes Solomon, a freed slave, and Caleb, the printer's son.
Another JF book I picked up in the kids section of the library, but I really enjoyed this historical fiction about an lame armed orphan boy that joins the circus.
Well he cleans up after the animals, I enjoyed it, and it made me think a lot about the immense blessing of being able to read and write.
I don't think anything gives more freedom that literacy, I'm grateful I have always been able to take for granted those blessings, A good book foryear olds, I expected this book to be "all fluff, " I was pleasantly surprised to find it historically vivid and complex, I'm a huge fan of circus culture and this novel is just the right amount of intriguing, Following an orphaned boy on his journey with the circus as he discovers his own beliefs, reasons, and self in a time of abolitionists, abandonment, and unlikely friends this book is a tip of the hat to the amazing, wonderful, world of the floating circuses of the's.
My only criticism is the abrupt ending, . . it wasn't bad but rather unexpected, . perhaps this a good thing! Read it and decide yourself! The Floating Circus is the story of thirteenyearold Owen Burke, an orphan living in Pennsylvania in the's.
His pa dead and his mother unable to provide, Owen and his younger brother Zach are placed in the care of the Home for Destitute and Friendless Youth.
When Owen overhears a conversation about Zach's options for adoption, he realizes that he is a liability to Zach and determines to help his brother find a new home even it means leaving him to do so.
Owen serendipitously finds his way to the riverfront of Pittsburgh where a large floating circus has moored, By good providence and a healthy dose of luck and chance, Owen finds himself employed by the River Palace, apprenticed to Solomon, a freed black man who cares for the animals and does most of the grunt work to keep the palace shipshape.
Although the hours are long and the work is demanding, Owen settles into his new life, forging a gentle friendship with Solomon.
When yellow fever and a storm threaten to put an end to it all, Owen knows he has some tough decisions to make and he makes them with pure bravado and integrity.
Great historical fiction! Students should love this, Owen is a plucky and believable protagonist, In many ways, this reminds me of Billy Creekmore by Tracey Porter, another great piece of historical fiction with a plucky and forthright protagonist who makes his own way in a world that is not always easy or benevolent.
Make no mistake though, The Floating Circus stands firmly on its own merit, This good oldfashioned adventure novel will appeal equally to boys and girls as well as to circus fans of all ages.
Readers will instantly empathize with Owen, a twelveyearold escapee from an orphanage, as he learns the ropes of life aboard The River Palace, a circus ship.
The vivid cast of characters includes an escaped slave, Siamese twins, and a misunderstood elephant, Little Bets, Amazing! Spectacular! Unputdownable! It started off promising and makes a good effort to both appeal to children and maintain a decent level of historical attributes, but ultimately it tries too hard to reach a message without any compelling attributes behind it.
In the end, the message ultimately seems to be lost in the search for an ending reaches some kind of catharsis.
However, the ending ultimately just leaves the reader confused as to the ultimate message, I almost missed this book which would have been a huge mistake! This novel was an absolute joy to read!
Owen and his brother Zach have been given up by their mother to an orphanage.
After realizing that Zach has a better chance of being adopted without him, Owen puts his little brother on the orphan train heading west and then sets out to find his own way in life.
His path leads him to the River Palace, a floatig circus, and then leads Zach into a job, friendships and his share of new problems.
I read this in one sitting and enjoyed every page! The Floating Circus has so many pieces of history woven into the story that you could easily use tie this novel into other lesson plans if using Floating Circus in the classroom.
Pair it with Karen Cushman's Rodzina for the history of the Orphan Trains use it to discuss slavery in the US child labor workers' rights/unions animal rights.
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Spoiler alert . Scroll down .
Non baby elephants are harmed in this book, The Floating Circus is one of those great books that will appeal to both kids ad adults, I often hear kids complain that literary books are 'so boring', Although The Floating Circus might be considered literary, it is in no way boring, The author keeps the story moving forward giving it definate kidappeal,
I also felt it was a great example of how historical fiction doesn't just have to be about girls in corsettes.
The story takes place in the United States circa, when circuses traveled from town to town and slavery was still the status quo.
yearold Owen and his brother Zach live in an orphanage in Pittsburgh, But when Zach has the opportunity for a better life, Owen not wanting to hold him back runs away and joins the circus.
In this case, it is a circus on a boat, which travels the river towns,
Thanks to the wellresearched novel, I now have a better understanding of life and times in this part of our history.
Twelveyearold Owen slips off the orphan train, leaving his younger brother alone because he believes Zachary will stand a better chance of adoption without him.
Without any notion of what he will do next, Owen is carried with a crowd to the riverfront where a floating circus has arrived.
After he is thrown overboard for not having a ticket, he is rescued by Solomon, a black circus worker who convinces the owner that Owen can stay with him and help with the animals.
So begins a relationship which is the center of the book, Owen is too young and naive to understand all the facets of prejudice or to have seen how poorly men can treat animals or mankind, but he will learn many lesson on board the floating circus.
Zimmer covers much territory in this book: orphan trains, circus history, slavery, yellow fever, and prejudice, But for all of that, this is Owen's story, his growth to a young man who recognizes the education he has received from an illiterate exslave.
Ins Philadelphiayearold Owen Burke and his younger brother Zach live in an orphanage after being abandoned by their mother.
As fate would have it, Owen falls from severely damaging his arm and rendering it useless leaving Owen to believe Zach would have a better chance being adopted without him.
He finds himself befriended by an elderly former slave on a floating circus who gives him work cleaning the animal stalls.
As the circus floats down river Owen enjoys his new life until fate again intervenes, Zimmer does an excellent job recreating a feel for thes and keeping a steady plot pace, However, atyearsold Owen is more reflective than his present day peers, The ending is also abrupt and leaves the reader with too many unanswered questions,
In thisSequoyah nominee, Owen leaves the orphan train at the last minute to spare his little brother a life of having a "disabled" sibling tag along.
Owen's arm becomes useless after a treeclimbing accident,
Owen stumbles, hungry and homeless, upon the River Palace, a floating circus barge, After being befriended by a kind black man who cleans up after the animals, Owen begins his new life as an employee.
There is action, adventure, drama, loss, and love in this quick read, I have really mixed feelings about this book, While I enjoyed it, liked the main character, had fun reading about a floating, traveling circus, and think the author writes well, I'm a tad uneasy about the racial politics of the book.
I get tired of white authors creating African American characters whose purpose is to be somewhat of a "simple sage" imparting knowledge and guiding the white protagonist to become a better person The Secret Life of Bees, I'm looking at you.
While it could be argued that the black character in this case, an adult freed slave named Solomon helps the white protagonist a thirteen year old boy named Owen, his role in the book is still to serve the purpose of the white character.
Sigh.
That aside, the book provides some interesting insights into the history of the circus in America, I think the author tries to include a tad too much history into the book by including the orphan trains, Yellow Fever, a traveling circus, slavery, etc.
into such a short book,
This book is appropriate forthth grade, .