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Son of the Circus – A Victorian Story

Book Synopsis

Voices: Son of the Circus – A Victorian Story explores the life of a young mixed-race boy, Ted, living with his mother and poorly older brother in Victorian Bradfield.

When a stranger, a man the boys don’t remember ever seeing before, appears in their kitchen, Ted is hit with a shocking revelation. This man is his father – the first black circus owner in Victorian Britain, Pablo Fanque.

Before Ted can recover from his shock, he is sent away with Pablo to learn the tricks of the circus trade. Pablo is determined for Ted to follow in his footsteps.

But can Ted adapt to this terrifying new life amongst strangers?

And will he ever see his beloved mother and brother again?

Fresh new voice, E. L. Norry, continues this exciting new series that explores authentic and moving accounts of the life of British immigrants throughout history. Norry shows us a fascinating and rarely seen world that’s sure to hook young readers.

Our Review Panel says...

Having been entranced by The Greatest Showman and thoroughly enjoying Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd-Jones, this book appealed with its intriguing blurb. I wanted to find out more about Ted and George and their discovery that Pablo Fanque (the first black circus owner of in Britain) was their father. Telling the story of ‘ordinary’ people from the past is a great way to engage with history and might help to bring to life a previous era. The anecdotal detail about life in Victorian England certainly helped to make this story stand out from modern-day settings. As well as being an enjoyable, emotional tale I felt a learned a lot from this thought-provoking read…

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Son of the Circus – A Victorian Story

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