The Circus Thief by Alane Adams
Publisher/Year: SparkPress, 2018
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads
Summary
The circus is in town, and Georgie has his heart set on going. When Papa agrees to take him and his friend Harley, the boys marvel at the elephants and clowns. But the best act of all is the amazing Roxie, a trained horse who can do all sorts of tricks. When Georgie is invited to ride on her back, he discovers it’s her last show–Roxie is going to be sent to the work farm! When Roxie bolts with Georgie on her back, Papa must come to his rescue. The Circus Thief is a heartwarming tale of boyhood set in 1920s Pennsylvania for children ages 4-8.
What I thought
I loved the idea behind this sweet little children’s book, and I loved the vibrant illustrations even more–they were simply stunning! As a resident of Pennsylvania and as a history fan, I was definitely looking forward to reading this one. My favorite part of this book was the illustrations, hands down. The colors were brilliant, which will definitely appeal to children. They were also very atmospheric and were perfectly fitting for the time period and the circus environment. The story itself was enjoyable, despite feeling a little unfinished. The historical setting lends itself to a teaching opportunity for children, as well as the lesson Papa teaches Georgie about money and hard work. However, at least to me, the ending felt a little abrupt and didn’t seem to fit with the flow of the rest of the story. I saw somewhere, though, that this is part of a series, so maybe that explains it. Overall, this is a delightful book that I think younger children would enjoy!
**Thank you, to SparkPress for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This in no way affected my opinion or my review of this book.
Jessika Reads 