Olivia's review:

Son of the Circus is a historical novel by author E.L. Norry from the point of view of twelve-year-old Ted. The book is set in Victorian England (1867) and starts by introducing Ted and his family - his mother and older, sickly, brother George. When a stranger suddenly arrives at their home, Ted learns that this mysterious man is his father, Pablo Fanque, the first black circus owner in Britain. Pablo wants Ted to join him and learn the tricks of the circus, and is convinced he can teach his son the ways of performing. Ted, however, is not so sure!

This novel has a well-developed, interesting cast of characters, each with their own unique personal-ities and qualities that are expanded on as the book continues. The most important characters to note are Larkin, a spindly, bold equestrian; Pablo Fanque, the courageous owner of the travelling cir-cus; and, of course, Ted, the main character and narrator of the story. Larkin’s character is, in my opinion, the most well-developed in the whole book. He starts out as an unfriendly, overly curious young boy but, as the story progresses, we see a whole new side to him and slowly watch him open up to Ted, and vice versa.

In my opinion, the smartest things Norry does is write Son of the Circus from Ted’s point of view only. I do not usually enjoy it when writers keep the story to one point of view only, or don’t touch on the other characters’ feelings or opinions much. However, focusing this book on the view of a newcomer who just found out about his performing background allows the reader to grow and de-velop with Ted. Our view of the circus, and the intriguing cast of characters within it, change as the story goes on and allow us to sympathise with Ted and his fear of this new environment more. It also allows us to observe the character development at the same time Ted does. Although our point of view isn’t exactly rounded, per se, it is a lot more interesting that way.

While the book is probably primarily aimed at pre-teens and teenagers, it would make a good read for a slightly older demographic as well. It is a nice, well-rounded story with some themes and ideas that an older audience would most likely enjoy.

As you can see, I genuinely have no negative critiques of this book and would recommend it as an ‘easy read’. It is engaging and educational, and also offers a good view of the Victorian times from the perspective of a person of colour and for children in poverty.

5 stars!

Thomas' review:

I enjoyed the book because the storyline gave you small pieces of information about the plot as you went on .

Pablo was my favourite character as he appears to be mysterious but you learn more about him as the book progresses.

Yes I learnt a bit about children and that they got injured while working in a factories.

I think the Book was serious and adventurous.

I would recommend this Book to other students.