Life on the road with a traveling circus isn’t as fun as it sounds. Especially for very serious children like Nicky and Saggy. Check out this review of Caroline Adderson’s debut children’s novel.
Author: Caroline Adderson
Life on the road with a traveling circus isn’t as fun as it sounds. Especially for very serious children like Nicky and Saggy. Check out this review of Caroline Adderson’s debut children’s novel.
Fun, Fun, Fun!
Nicky H.H. Grant and his brother Saggy are very serious children. But it’s strange since their parents are clowns in a traveling circus who only believe in having fun and eating funny foods like marshmallows, candy and inside-out hamburgers. And it’s especially strange since their names stand for Nickelodeon Ha Ha Grant and Split a Gut.
Not So Fun
Nicky and Saggy sound like the luckiest kids in the world—lots of traveling, absolutely NO vegetables. But life without the bad makes the good look…well, not so good. They’ve never had a real home (one that stays in the same place). They’ve never made real friends (life on the road doesn’t allow time to make friends). And they’ve never even been to school, or taken a bath! They don’t seem so lucky now, do they?
Lee’s Restaurant
Their circus travels through Canada, performing in small towns. One night, Nicky’s parents go out for their anniversary dinner to Lee’s Restaurant. They wind up in jail after trying to pay for meals with jokes instead of money. But it was his parents’ trip to the slammer that led Nicky to his first real friend. Gim Lee is son of the owners of Lee’s Restaurant. He and his family were once acrobats in a famous circus, and are eager to join their traveling circus.
Runaways
When Nicky’s parents insist that he and Saggy start performing in the circus, Nicky has had enough. He wants to become an accountant, not a clown! He, Saggy and Gim run away, searching for a home without wheels. But do they actually expect a family to take in three dirty kids who’ve shown up on their doorstep?
The Bottom Line
Very Serious Children is a cute story that makes you appreciate the life you have—a real home, true friends, even good ol’ broccoli! So next time you find unwanted vegetables on your dinner plate, grab a copy of Very Serious Children. You’ll never feed your carrots and greens to your pets again.
Very Serious Children Rating:
