''Toby Tyler; or, Ten Weeks with a Circus'' is a children's novel by "James Otis", the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

James Otis Kaler James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 — December 11, 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s literature. He wrote under the name James Otis. Life and career Kaler was born on March 19, 1848, in Winterport, Maine. He attended Pu ...

Summary

''Toby Tyler'' tells the story of a ten-year-old orphan who runs away from a

foster home Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

to join the

traveling circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

only to discover his new employer is a cruel taskmaster. The difference between the romance of the circus from the outside and the reality as seen from the inside is depicted. Toby's friend, Mr. Stubbs the chimpanzee, reinforces the consequences of what happens when one follows one's natural instincts rather than one's intellect and conscience, a central theme of the novel.

Publication history

''Toby Tyler'' was initially serialized in '' Harper's Young People'' in 1877, then published as a book in

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The C ...

. It became something of a classic among American boys and girls who dreamed of running away to join the circus and remained popular for generations. Disney honored it with a film version, '' Toby Tyler'', starring

Kevin Corcoran Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran (June 10, 1949 – October 6, 2015) was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. Hi ...

in 1960. It was James Otis Kaler's first book and also his best known and most successful. The original book contains 30 pen and ink drawings by W. A. Rogers (1854-1931). A sequel, ''Mr. Stubb’s Brother'', was published in 1883.

Analysis

''Toby Tyler'' is a "bad boy" novel, meant to teach a lesson about what happens to boys who do bad things; other examples include George W. Peck's '' Peck's Bad Boy'' (1883), Thomas Bailey Aldrich's '' The Story of a Bad Boy'' (1870), and

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's ''

Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the n ...

'' (1876).''The Continuum Encyclopedia of Literature'', by Steven Serafin, Alfred Bendixen. Published 2003 Continuum International Publishing Group
Page 183
As with

's '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), also about a conscience-stricken escaped and wandering orphan boy (written following the success of ''Toby Tyler''), most readers don't remember ''Toby Tyler'' for its wholesome message, but as a romantic story of running away to the circus and adventures on the road. The book was influential with some famous "bad boys". A young Carl Sandburg thought ''Toby Tyler'' one of his favorite books (even better than ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'').

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

credits it as influencing his decision to run off with the circus. William S. Burroughs wrote of it in his journals.''Last Words: the final journals of William S. Burroughs''. William S. Burroughs, James Grauerholz. Published 2000 Grove Press
Page 206
/ref>

Notes

External links

''Toby Tyler''
available at Internet Archive (scanned books original editions illustrated color) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Toby Tyler or, Ten Weeks with a Circus Circus books American children's novels 1881 American novels Novels first published in serial form Works originally published in Harper's Young People Novels about orphans 1880s children's books