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An outsider becomes a hero and a boy becomes a man in this classic coming-of-age tale from the heyday of the three-ring circus, by three-time Newbery Honor Book author Eloise Jarvis McGraw.
The circus is all young Joe Lang knows. The third generation of a circus family, he becomes a star bareback rider by the time he turns fifteen. But when his father, a lion-tamer, is killed by one of his cats, Joe becomes an orphan and is sent away to a vocational school while the law decides whether or not Mo Shapely, an old clown, is a fit guardian for him. Meanwhile, the circus moves on. Joe escapes from the school and stumbles into the farm life of the Dawson family, who take him in.
Mistrustful at first, Joe grows to love farming and his foster family. Faced with prejudice as an outsider in a closely-knit rural community, he closely guards the secret of his past—until the day his extraordinary acrobatic talent is called for to save a life. Joe earns respect, but there is still circus in his blood, sawdust in his shoes. Will he ever be happy away from his former life under the big top?
The debut novel of three-time Newbery Honor winner Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Sawdust in His Shoes is reminiscent of Ralph Moody’s Little Britches and Man of the Family, Roald Dahl’s Danny the Champion of the World, Sid Fleischman’s The Whipping Boy, and Walt Morey’s Run Far, Run Fast. Rediscover another great read-aloud treasure from the golden age of the children’s novel.
Named one of “Ten best children’s books of the year” – New York Times
Sawdust in His Shoes is an absolute treasure that follows all the quintessential elements of a coming-of-age story. Eloise Jarvis McGraw reassures readers that the tradition of relating stories of family, loss, struggle, and triumph is still vibrantly alive. Sawdust in His Shoes has a vibrant feel akin to Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls where McGraw narrates how sometimes life isn't just about finding our place in this world, but rather, about searching for those to share the journey of life with. Absolutely recommend!
A charming, old-school story… While a lot of readers commented that they wanted to join the circus after reading Sawdust in His Shoes, the writing and characters made me want to go live on a bucolic farm in Oregon in the early 1900s. Glad I took a chance on this one.
The story of circus born and bred Joe Lang is timeless and will be a hit with my Gen Z kids as much as it likely was more than 50 years ago. Joe is a bareback rider who dreams of top billing in a major circus just like his parents, but tragedy and hardship strike at every turn. Readers will read anxiously as hot headed, 15 year old Joe navigates new homes, both good and bad, new jobs, and new challenges and comes out a far better person in the end. McGraw makes the circus come alive with outstanding use of the culture’s unique jargon and descriptive passages.
The story of 15-year-old Joe Lang reads like a motion picture! A child born and raised in a circus environment, forced to face the death of a parent, uprooted from his place of comfort and abruptly torn away from any sense of tranquility is portrayed through the author's exceptional grace with words enabling the reader to feel every intense, mysterious, rebellious, awkward, sad emotion… Every gust of wind, the smell of hay and routine of farm life, the far off boat whistle, the sound of the ever-ringing party line phone ... every tear can be vividly imagined. The story of Joe Lang struggling to survive and thrive is a testament to the human spirit.
Here is a timeless classic that renews faith in the genuine goodness of others and the ability of the human spirit to triumph…. If you haven’t read it, it should go on your to-be-read-this-year-list. If you read it as a child, you will be thrilled to know that it is going to be reprinted in June 2018. Highly recommend that when you buy your own copy you also get one for a child or grandchildren at the same time. Read it together!
