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THE CIRCUS BOYS SERIES |
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Notes |
Titles |
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"No call to the heart of the youth of America finds a readier response than the call of the billowing canvas, the big red wagons, the crash of the circus band and the trill of the ringmaster's whistle. It is a call that captures the imagination of old and young alike, and so do the books of this series capture and enthrall the reader, for they were written by one who, besides weilding a master pen, has followed the sawdust trail from coast to coast, who knows the circus people and the sturdy manliness of those who do and dare for the entertainment of millions of circus-goers when the grass is green. Mr. Darlington paints a true picture of circus life." -- Altemus ad.
Er.... "sturdy manliness"? "Phil Forrest, proud and happy, bounded out into the paddock, resplendent in pink tights, a black girdle about his loins, sparkling with silver spangles....Mr. Sparling, hardened showman that he was, brushed a suspicious hand across his eyes and sat down suddenly. "Such grit, Such grit!" he muttered...He grabbed Phil in his arms and carried him into the dressing tent. "You're not hurt, are you, my lad?" he cried. "No; I'm just a silly little fool," smiled Phil a bit weakly. "How did I do?" This series is your basic Horatio Alger novel spun out to five volumes -- in fact, it's a particular Alger book, The Young Acrobat. Phil, a young orphan who exhibits all of the standard series book virtues -- honesty, physical courage, "manliness," et al. -- is dependant for his living upon his disagreeable old uncle, whom the reader is given to suspect may have defrauded Phil of his father's fortune. After his uncle throws him out of the house without a penny, Phil is invited to join the Sparling Circus after he commits several acts of improbable heroism. Joining up with his younger friend Teddy, Phil embarks on a circus career as an elephant rider. Phil's penchant for heroics continues; his quick thinking saves the tiger tamer from an angry Bengal tiger and rescues the imprisoned elephant. Naturally, Phil doesn't give in to the coarser elements of circus life; each winter, he takes his savings from the circus season and enrolls in the little village school back in his home town, suppressing his love of spangles, girdles, and pink tights until springtime comes. As the series progresses, Phil's fortunes rise with that of the circus. The entire series is online: The
Circus Boys on the Flying Rings; or, Making a Start in the Sawdust Life |
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