Sawdust in his shoes ebook

The boy tells him that some have tried, but no one has succeeded. However, Joe realizes that he just can't stand life at the school, and all he wants to do is run away and try to rejoin the circus. When Joe runs away from the school, he cuts across some farmland, loses his way, and ends up getting caught on some barbed wire, where he is found by the Dawson family. The Dawsons treat his wound, and Joe despairs, realizing that he has gone the wrong way and that he has no chance to catch up with the circus before they move on.

The Dawsons ask Joe what his name is and offer to help him get home, but Joe is reluctant to tell them the full truth because he doesn't want to be sent back to the horrible school.

Instead, he tells them that he has no home or parents but that he's worked before, since he was young, and that he hopes to find a job when he's recovered from his wounds and exhaustion. The Dawsons are concerned about Joe and curious about his mysterious past and vague answers, but Mr.

Dawson decides to offer Joe a position as farm hand. Joe is surprised at the offer and a little suspicious, and he asks Mr. Dawson why he's so willing to take in a perfect stranger. Dawson answers him in an equally vague way, saying that if Joe really feels like he needs to steal their silver, he must need it more than they do, and he's welcome to it.

Joe decides to accept Mr. Dawson's offer of employment. Eventually, Joe's secrets are exposed, and he must make some choices about his future. Although Joe had lived many different places when he traveled with the circus, living on the Dawsons' farm provides him with new experiences and broadens his horizons in unexpected ways.

He had never had much respect for non-circus people before partly because of his bad experiences with his non-circus stepmother. He still dislikes some of the Dawsons' neighbors for their unfriendliness and suspicious toward him, but the Dawsons themselves are very different from most of the people Joe has met before.

Joe comes to realize that he has not forgotten everything that he learned from his old life and that he can apply his old skills in new ways.

He even starts to consider that there are more ways of living than he had previously thought, and he begins to see the appeal of non-circus life. Still, the circus is what he always loved first, and he feels torn between what he's always wanted and the people who have loved and supported him when he needed it the most.

This is an exciting and touching story of a boy trying to find his place in the world while dealing with unfortunate and unpredictable circumstances in life. I highly recommend this book! For more of my reaction see my blog, Jestress's Forgotten Books and Stories. The book is available for purchase through Plough. So excited to finally have a copy of this book again. I lost my copy my freshman year in college and have been looking for another ever sense.

It's not really my book now I had to buy a thing called "Four Complete Novels for Teenagers" but that just means I get Big Red and two other books that someone thought was great. I read this book around the time I was in junior high -- or maybe even earlier, but I still remember the basic story and how it touched my heart.

This review and others posted over at my blog. I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for my honest review. When I threw my name in the hat for this book, I was looking for a change of pace. It This review and others posted over at my blog. It was time to dip into something a little different. Joe Lang is as authentic as the vocabulary throughout the book.

He finds himself at the Dawson farm and only intends on staying a few days until he can figure out a plan. I felt for Joe, understood his longing to get back to the circus, which was the only home he knew. Adding to his longing was his missed opportunity for a chance at a solo show thanks to his rising fame as a performer.

The Dawsons are a likeable family. The Dawson children are in awe of Joe, instantly taking a liking to him. I was glad there was no petty jealousy among the children. Only Ma Dawson is skeptical of the quiet, brooding boy.

But Joe is good with her children and hardworking. The development of Joe and Mrs. Much like Joe, I found myself wanting him to stay with the Dawsons, but also wanting him to achieve his goal of a solo show in the circus and reunite with Moe.

I devoured most of this book in one sitting. I clearly loved Joe and the focus on found family. Sawdust in His Shoes surprised me; it was funny, uplifting, tense and rewarding! Jul 23, Karen Slora rated it it was amazing Shelves: novel-fiction , young-adult. This book was my favorite, and I was enthralled by it when in the eighth grade. It had a special place in my heart as it was recommended to me by my teacher who encouraged me to keep writing. So when I saw it was reprinted in I got a copy right away.

It was just as good as I remembered it! I read it as quickly as I could. I had thought maybe my adult self had overrated it, but it stands on its own after all these years. I did not find this book early in life, but while soaking in the atmosphere of a used book store more than thirty years ago.

I bought "Sawdust In His Shoes" because of the graphics on the cover but found a story that inspired me to share it with the youth around me. I don't remember how many times I have loaned it to the young of friends and family. The musky smell of the store and old books still cling every time I open the worn pages and lament the torn and loose pages from the damage incurred I did not find this book early in life, but while soaking in the atmosphere of a used book store more than thirty years ago.

The musky smell of the store and old books still cling every time I open the worn pages and lament the torn and loose pages from the damage incurred during the last time I loaned it out.

The story of Joe Lang captures the struggle of life and dreams of the future for the youth of yesteryear as well as the youth of today. Doesn't hurt for us older guys to get a glimpse of the wonder of discovery through the eyes of the young. It is very much a product of the 50s, as far as gender roles go, but despite that is refreshingly free of misogyny.

And the story is just lovely; sweet, true, honest about how terrible living with a teen can be, and doesn't fall for the trope of "what s wonderful life" in pretending that beating someone's dreams out of them is ok, as long as they achieve someone else's dream.

Ok, it's true, I specifically hate that movie, received through librarything's early review program This is a lovely book. Ok, it's true, I specifically hate that movie, but also I feared that was where this book was going, and it didn't, and I thank it for that.

I received this through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I've always been impressed with Newberry books so I knew I wanted to read it The characters in the book draw you into a story about the circus, emotional pain and a yearning for a way of living lost.

They must focus on the future possibilities and skills that will take them in new directions. Topics included; Circus life. Farm life. Being an orphan. Being a circ I received this through the Goodreads Giveaway program. Being a circus star. Finding a new family. All wonderful topics to discuss with your child. Autumn, North River patron, June , 4 stars: This is a story about a young boy that grows up in the Circus life but at a very young age is faced with many hardships that he must overcome.

The story leads him to a family that exudes kindness and welcomes him into their lives. A good read to share with the entire family. McGraw, Eloise Jarvis. Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill , This specific ISBN edition is currently not available.

View all copies of this ISBN edition:. Synopsis About this title book has minor wear and tear. Classic Literature Juvenile Fiction. Publisher: Plough Publishing House. Kindle Book Release date: December 12, Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget.

You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again. The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here. You've reached the maximum number of titles you can currently recommend for purchase.

Your session has expired. Please sign in again so you can continue to borrow titles and access your Loans, Wish list, and Holds pages. If you're still having trouble, follow these steps to sign in. 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 is in his blood, sawdust in his shoes.

Will he ever be happy away from his former life with the greatest show on earth? Rediscover another great read-aloud treasure from the golden age of the children's novel. Sawdust in His Shoes. Copy and paste the code into your website.