I adore THE CIRCUS THIEF, a lovely story about the circus coming to a small 1920s Pennsylvania town, geared to children ages 4–8. The illustrations are gorgeous and the tale of Georgie, who has done all his farm chores and convinces his Dad to take him and his friend Harley to the circus, gives such a sweet look at ‘20s life, when the world spun more slowly and the chance to see elephants and clowns was as exciting as any super hero multiplex movie.

Things heat up when Georgie gets to ride Roxie, a trained horse who can do all sorts of tricks. As he learns this is her last show and that she’s destined for a work farm, she bolts with him hanging on for dear life. It takes Papa to come the rescue, in more ways than one. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 06 Nov 2018

Thanks to SparkPress and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

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This book is nice and at one point it seems to become an adventure story but is cut off. I have also noticed two things, first the story has some stuff about not paying a small amount for one thing but a large amount for another which doesn’t feel like something you need to put in a children’s book. Second it seems to end to abruptly like there is meant to be a part two. Otherwise, as I have already said, it is a nice book.
Zoë age 9

I'm missing something. This beautifully illustrated children's book makes no sense.
There is a boy who does his chores and asks his father to attend the circus. Dad takes him and friend. During the main show the boy gets to ride an older, almost retired circus horse. Said horse runs off after the show (with the boy on it) as the horse has (presumably) figured out that she is destined for a work camp. Circus owner and Dad have a discussion about the cost of the horse. Dad pays the cost and the boy says "We just bought ourselves a circus horse."
And then...?

It feels unfinished. My eARC was 32 pages long with no back cover page. So I don't know if it was truncated or what the issue is but it felt abrupt and with no real finish to the story. Even another page or two about the boy taking the horse home to Mom and her indicating he had better do all his chores but care for the horse would be something. But instead it's like Dad magically hands over a bunch of money to buy a horse.

If there is a moral or story here for children I'm not getting it. The best I got out of this is that the illustrations are gorgeous and don't do justice to the story itself.

This was a cute story about a boy's first visit to the circus. After learning about the fate of a soon-to-be retired circus horse, he convinces his dad to help save the horse. The illustrations are done very well. They are so life-like and colorful. The story is a quick read, but children will enjoy it.

The premise if this book is good and the illustrations are beautiful. Much of the story is told through the illustrations. It is a story of a young boy who goes to the circus and sees a beautiful horse and then finds out that it is being sent from the circus to become a work horse because of its age. Although this would be a great book for young kids, the scene where the boy falls in love with he horse could have been more developed and the father’s character is a little confusing. In the beginning he seems to be a hard nosed penny pincher, but it turns out that he is anything but.

The Circus Theif contains wonderful illustrations and is beautifully written to match the time era. However, the story came to an abrupt ending and it left me questioning what the underlying message was to the book. Nevertheless, still a great story for pre-school or above aged children.

This children's book is an endearing tale of a boy who is eager to go to the circus. He pleads with his father to take him and once there encounters a circus horse that is about to be retired to a working farm. When the horse literally sweeps him away, she ends up with a new loving home. The story is quick paced and sweet. The pictures are beautifully created, which both my nephew and I loved. My only criticism was that the book had a very abrupt ending. I wish I would have gotten to see the horse in hew new home being doted on by her loving family.... I will just have to use my imagination to create her happily ever after!

I was so excited to get this book after reading the description and seeing the beautiful cover. I can say two phenomenal things about this book are: First, the illustrations are breathtaking. The characters are so visually appealing, you feel insta-love for them. The details are captivating. This, alone, could win the book high ratings. Second, the author has strong writing skills, especially with dialogue. The conversations were very realistic and drew me in. I was anticipating each turn of the page, feeling the excitement and energy as the story unfolded. I couldn't wait to see each new beautiful illustration and read what happened next. And then kerplop. The book ended. The elements of story were not there.

Illustrations are amazing and sure to excite any young reader. The story, while out of date, was a refreshing lesson in what good can come from doing your chores.

The Circus Thief is a beautifully-illustrated story of a young boy who has worked hard to see the circus in town. Georgie, the main character, asks his father for some money to see the circus, and after some convincing, is able to see the show. Along with his friend Harley, the boys are dazzled and amazed by the astounding feats of the circus, and Georgie takes a liking to one of the circus horses. The book attempts to impart a message of kindness; however, the message falls short when the story comes to an abrupt ending leaving the reader feeling short-changed. The books illustrations are beautifully-done, and do a great job of evoking the classic circus feel. The story starts out great, but ends without a solid resolution.

A positive, compassionate story about a boy who visits the circus the circus horse he meets. Unfortunately, much of the story seemed rushed and I thought it ended very abruptly. However, the illustrations are delightful and the boy's compassion for the horse, Roxie, shines.

When a young lad's hard work pays off, and he gets allowed to go to the circus with his best friend, he gets a lot more than he bargained for, in this short and sweet read. I'd certainly rate the illustrations more than the text, as they're really well handled; the story isn't too bad but one minute a certain character seems to be a bit of a penny-pincher, the next he's loaded, and the whole thing does just kind of stop as opposed to come to a natural end. It's reasonable enough, but from a British point of view the child's deference is disgusting and out-dated, so it would need adult company on the first couple of reads. Three and a half stars all told, as the story's flaws are swept off the page by the art.

Definitely a book for older readers and more of a daytime read than a bedtime tale. The illustrations are beautiful and has more of a story than other little human reads.

Children will marvel at the beautiful illustrations (by Lauren Gallegos) as they visit a Pennsylvania countryside circus of the pre-Depression Era along with Georgie and Harley. A simple storyline makes The Circus Thief (by Alana Adams) accessible to even the youngest. This would be a nice addition to library, home, and school bookshelves. The engaging illustrations give unspoken details to the historical era, a plus for educators, making this a good book for discussions with young learners.