4 Best Books About Circuses And Carnivals [March 2023]

The best books set in circuses and carnivals from Next Chapter [March 2023]

Circuses and carnivals have been a part of human entertainment for centuries, providing a spectacle of acrobats, clowns, and exotic animals that captivates audiences of all ages. While the two are similar in many ways, there are some key differences between circuses and carnivals.

Circuses are typically large-scale productions that feature a variety of acts, including high-flying aerialists, daring acrobats, and trained animal performers. They often travel from city to city, setting up their elaborate tents and staging their shows for the local populace. In contrast, carnivals are more mobile affairs, featuring a variety of rides, games, and food stands that are set up in a single location for a limited period of time.

While circuses and carnivals have been popular forms of entertainment for centuries, they have also been the subject of controversy due to concerns about animal welfare and worker exploitation. Many countries have enacted laws to regulate the treatment of animals in circuses, and some have even banned the use of certain types of animals altogether. Despite these concerns, circuses and carnivals remain popular forms of entertainment for millions of people around the world, and continue to evolve and adapt to changing times and tastes.

If you’re looking for novels with this particular setting, look no further! Below, we’ve collected four of our books that should fit the bill. We hope you like the stories on this page - and if you do, please take a moment to leave the author a review :) Don’t agree with our choices? Leave a comment below and let us know which books if your favorite!

Novels featured on this page

• The Ghost Train by Mark L’Estrange

• The Circus Affair by Michele E. Northwood

• Halloween Night On Monster Island (Holiday Shivers Book 1) by Clark Roberts

• The Circus (Skeletons in the Cupboard Series Book 4) by A.J. Griffiths-Jones

The Ghost Train by Mark L’Estrange

Book excerpt

Once the pier had closed for the night, Jeb carried out Pete’s instructions just as he always did after a kill. Using the hidden entrance behind the control box, he cautiously navigated his way down the stone steps towards the cave beneath the pier, where they fed the creatures.

The going was always precarious due to a combination of the steps, which had been carved out of the rough stone, being uneven where the stone had crumbled away over time, and the fact that the ground was always wet as a result of the ceiling and walls dripping sea water onto it.

In Jeb’s opinion—and he knew that it was one shared by several other members of the clan—it was only a matter of time before the entire thing caved in on itself, doubtless taking that part of the pier with it.

But Pete and the other elders would not hear of it. To them, the caves were as sacred as the creatures which dwelt below, and it was up to the clan to do everything in their power to ensure that the structure was maintained, and the creatures regularly fed.

The Circus Affair by Michele E. Northwood

Book excerpt

A week later the girls were already disillusioned by the mundanity of the show routines. The huge, corrugated metal haulage container, which was used as the dressing-room, was where they spent most of their time during the shows. It was a confined space, so full of pent up frustration, mistrust, and misplaced anger at the new arrivals that the girls dreaded entering it. The existing group had shuffled apart to make space for the quartet to sit at a long plank of plywood that ran the length of the container. It was used as a makeup table, with strategically place mirrors dotted along the wall. A string of lightbulbs liberally drooped along the same wall provided them with enough light to apply their make-up. There was an aged fan placed at one end of the container. The oscillation had ceased to work many moons ago so only three women, the oldest of the group, were the advantageous trio who received a slight benefit from its weak attempt at circulating the hot air that filled the room. The mish-mash of women had purposely separated each girl from the other three, supposedly to make them feel more insecure than they already were. Their resentment of the girls made the atmosphere within the room seem charged with electricity as though one tiny spark would cause the dressing-room to explode with a barrage of abuse and fighting.

Sienna had only augmented the situation by announcing that the show destined for the Metropolitan theatre needed to be of a much higher quality than the poor effort presently being performed in the circus tent. She informed them that a new choreographer was going to be brought in and all new routines would have to be learned.

“Edwaldo wants to do a magic act of the calibre of David Copperfield. Huge illusions with lions and white tigers, disappearing elephants, and a host of other tricks,” she informed all the members in the dressing-room.

Halloween Night On Monster Island (Holiday Shivers Book 1) by Clark Roberts

Book excerpt

“I’m just kidding,” the witch said, and her cackle became a human laugh.

To my relief, the coaster cars jerked to a complete stop. The ride had been lots of fun, but I sure didn’t want to experience witch speed, whatever that was.

My heart beat so quickly and loudly I could hear it in my ears. In the next instant it slowed down, because this wasn’t a real witch at all; it was only Miss Penny dressed as one.

Miss Penny was the host my Uncle Victor had sent to the airport to pick up my cousins and my sister and me. Miss Penny had even been in costume at the airport. Being Halloween and all, there had been others dressed up, too, so she hadn’t looked all that foolish.

Miss Penny had helped us all with our packed duffel bags and then driven us to Lake Michigan.

Jenny and I are from Texas. Rebecca and Ricky live in Montana. None of us had ever been to Michigan to visit our Uncle Victor. We’d never seen a shoreline on an actual lake as large as Lake Michigan. Of course, being from Texas my sister and I have swum in the Gulf of Mexico — it’s even bigger than Lake Michigan — but the Gulf of Mexico is part of the ocean. We’d wanted to swim in Lake Michigan, but Miss Penny told us that in October the water was too cold for swimming.

The Circus (Skeletons in the Cupboard Series Book 4) by A.J. Griffiths-Jones

Book excerpt

Sheila Hannigan had a spring in her step, as did the rest of the circus. It was Easter Bank Holiday weekend and the weather was unusually warm, causing dark moods to lift and smiles to appear as the promise of summer was not so many months away now. It was also an incredibly busy weekend for the performers, with double shows every day, both afternoon and evening, meaning less time to practice and more hours putting on their various costumes and theatrical make-up. For a few weeks now the travellers had moved around middle England and now, for their grand finale, they set up camp close to the city centre. For Sheila it meant the return of many old customers and of course a hoard of new followers too, keeping her busy for many hours across the weekend.

The journey to the city had been short and uneventful. Sheila was now in the habit of sharing her ride with Danger McDougall, and the pair had spent this trip playing cards and drinking coffee, It was just a platonic friendship, they insisted, but one which filled a gap in both their lives. The stuntman's leg had healed well and this weekend would be his first performance since the accident. As for his unusual plant-watering request, well, the psychic had gone along with it for her friend's sake, being careful to only crawl under Mr.McDougall's trailer late at night in order to tend to his plants and never revealing his secret. In return the daredevil had invited Sheila over to watch his video collection on many occasions and often treated her to a fish and chip supper. All in all, the arrangement was an extremely amicable one.

On Good Friday morning, with the huge red and white striped tent erected and workers rushing to and fro in the course of their duties, the circus family exuded an air of excitement and fun. The clowns were outside, tumbling around and chasing each other as they perfected their intentional clumsiness, causing Roly O'Hare to curse as he tried to pass, while the resident strongman grunted and groaned as he heaved a set of enormous weights onto his muscular shoulders.

There we have it: four historical novels set in circuses and carnivals, as of 03/2023. We hope you enjoy the stories - and if you do, please leave a comment below, or a review in Goodreads or your favorite store. It would mean a lot to us!