The Runaway Clown

Adventures of the Northwoods #8

by Lois Walfrid Johnson

While working for the circus that is touring Wisconsin in 1907, Kate and her stepbrother Anders uncover a mystery

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 1993

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a fave...

[Karina (Karina's Christian Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number of pages: 118

Genre: Mystery

Series: The Adventures of the Northwoods #8

Age recommendation: 10-14

Summary: Kate and Anders are going to the circus! There, strange accidents have been surrounding the trapeze artist The Great Roberto. Can the children figure out who is behind the sabotage?

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book, although Kate being so scared about her faith I find a little annoying, yet also understandable. It is hard to tell other people what you believe, especially when it’s people you really care about and care about their opinions, especially since they have known a different you before this huge change. Even for me, who has been a Christian since I was seven, find it hard to bring up the subject with my friends. It makes sense, but sometimes you just want the characters to do the right thing since you can’t do it yourself.
I like the stuff about Kate and Anders getting to be clowns at the fair. Although I’m not sure how Kate is so good at stilt walking… unless I misunderstood and it’s only Anders on stilts. Which it could very well be.
I like how Kate is becoming braver. Well, I guess getting better at relying on God to take care of her and getting her strength from Him.
The ending is cute when Kate realizes how nice, kind and dependable Erik is. It’s so sweet, if you like cute little romances like that 😊
Overall, it was a pretty good book and I would totally recommend it, as well as the rest of the series.

My personal rating: 4/5 stars.

Link to blog: https://karinaschristianreads.wordpre...

[6thbreed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Runaway Clown was like the rest of the books in the Northwoods series... solidly average. It was a pretty good adventure, and per usual, there was great biblical themes and lessons woven throughout the book. Personally, I thought the mystery was lacking in this one, but that might just be me. The boy-girl stuff seemed like it increased in The Runaway Clown, but it stayed clean such as, there was no kissing. However, it’s silly when you realize the characters are only 12-13 years old, and they’re talking about how to know when a certain boy or girl is the right one. I didn’t object to what Kate’s adopted father said to her about how to know the right person, but still, they’re super young. He should have told them to just enjoy being carefree and kids at their age.
Anyways, I would still recommend The Runaway Clown to anybody looking for an average, clean, Christian book.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This great book is written from a Christian perspective. The characters make challenging decisions to stand alone for their faith. There is a bit of romance, which seems a bit mature for 12 and 13-year old characters in the early 20th century. Overall, I highly recommend. Looking forward to finding more from this series.

[Beverly Duell-Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!

[Sams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being from southern Wisconsin I know a lot about the Circus, so it was fun to read about one in action. I am shocked (as always) at how the times were different, children roamed free and even got to work at the circus...I suppose nobody was going to sue. The best part of this novel to me was that Kate recognized how important God is to her and that she needs to distance herself from people who want to distract her. Team Erik all the way.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate's growing up!

[Carrie Rolph]

Oh man, this was my favorite book when I was 12. I can't even remember exactly why now, and I'm scared to read it again. I think there was a lightning storm or something? I don't know.

[Marie Williams]

it was really good i read it in one night!

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite. Because of Kate's decision. All of us have to make decisions like that

[Cws]

JEAR3-Joh

[Steven Jorgenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Runaway Clown by Lois Walfrid Johnson is a very well written book. The author is clearly trying to emulate the classic Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew/Dana Girls stories. One thing I couldn't help but notice is the almost total lack of involvement by the parents of the characters. According to the time period setting I highly doubt children in that era could get away with what Kate, Anders and their friends do. The author tacked on a Christian message/theme three quarters of the way through the book. I didn't mind the Christian message, but it is almost like it was added on as an afterthought.