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Travels with My Family
The Traveling Circus
Charlie and his family are about to embark on another trip, to another out-of-the-way place off the beaten path. This time they are heading to an island in Croatia, a country Charlie has never even heard of. An incredibly beautiful country that lives in the shadow of war and conflict.
Even for a seasoned traveler like Charlie, Croatia is a very different experience. To travel in a country where the language is completely unfamiliar and half the words have no vowels. To visit remote villages where the Internet is so slow, you might as well not have it at all. Where goats are a traffic-calming device, red cliffs loom like fortresses over an impossibly blue sea, and luggage porters are a line of women pushing wheelbarrows.
Still, Charlie and his little brother, Max, manage to find adventure wherever they go. There’s cliff diving, pigs on spits, hair-raising ferry crossings and snake juice for breakfast (“Breakfast in Croatia — at your own risk!”). And there’s a sober side to their adventures this time, too. A friend who was sentenced to Croatia’s version of Alcatraz, despite committing no crime. An unsettling encounter with the Hermit of Vrgada. The sight of a half-destroyed village divided by a war that nobody won.
Charlie finds out that this area of the world has a long and troubled history, that wars are complicated, and that long-time feuds can continue to divide neighbors generations later. But he also discovers that you don’t need to speak the same language to communicate with people. Not when you’re having a party in a field, surrounded by goats and dancing in the glow of car headlights with the radio blaring out Croatian music.
A warm, funny and thought-provoking book that celebrates a child’s love of adventure and boundless curiosity about the world.
Even for a seasoned traveler like Charlie, Croatia is a very different experience. To travel in a country where the language is completely unfamiliar and half the words have no vowels. To visit remote villages where the Internet is so slow, you might as well not have it at all. Where goats are a traffic-calming device, red cliffs loom like fortresses over an impossibly blue sea, and luggage porters are a line of women pushing wheelbarrows.
Still, Charlie and his little brother, Max, manage to find adventure wherever they go. There’s cliff diving, pigs on spits, hair-raising ferry crossings and snake juice for breakfast (“Breakfast in Croatia — at your own risk!”). And there’s a sober side to their adventures this time, too. A friend who was sentenced to Croatia’s version of Alcatraz, despite committing no crime. An unsettling encounter with the Hermit of Vrgada. The sight of a half-destroyed village divided by a war that nobody won.
Charlie finds out that this area of the world has a long and troubled history, that wars are complicated, and that long-time feuds can continue to divide neighbors generations later. But he also discovers that you don’t need to speak the same language to communicate with people. Not when you’re having a party in a field, surrounded by goats and dancing in the glow of car headlights with the radio blaring out Croatian music.
A warm, funny and thought-provoking book that celebrates a child’s love of adventure and boundless curiosity about the world.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2015
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Marie-Louise Gay
130 books72 followersMarie-Louise Gay is the illustrator of many award-winning children's books. She is from Montreal, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 2, 2018
Doživljaji mladog Kanađanina Charlieja jednog ljeta u Hrvatskoj. Bio je Chrlie i u Rijeci , i na Cresu i vrlo je zanimljivo neka mjesta koja smatraš "domom" vidjeti tuđim očima. Jako zanimljivo.
A autor nam dolazi u Hrvatsku uskoro pa ćemo i od njega moći čuti svašta. :)
A autor nam dolazi u Hrvatsku uskoro pa ćemo i od njega moći čuti svašta. :)
June 20, 2024
Charlie and his family are about to embark on a trip to another out-of-the-way place. This time they are heading to an island in Croatia, a country Charlie has never heard of. Sometimes it feels like a circus traveling with his parent’s friends.
The Traveling Circus by Marie Louise Gay and David Homel is a warm, funny and thought-provoking book that celebrates a child’s love of adventure and boundless curiosity about the world.
3 stars
The Traveling Circus by Marie Louise Gay and David Homel is a warm, funny and thought-provoking book that celebrates a child’s love of adventure and boundless curiosity about the world.
3 stars
February 4, 2017
This is the fourth book by Homel and Gay, a husband and wife team who live in Montreal. According to Gay's Web site, they've woven memories of their own family travels into stories of a family of four, dad, mom, Charlie and little brother Max. Gay is also the author/illustrator of the Stella and Sam books.
The books are described on the Web site as a different kind of travelogue. In some places the storyline does almost veer off into juvenile non-fiction. The characters are likable and funny, though, and the illustrations fanciful, so it stays in the fiction camp 90% of the time.
I don't remember where I read a review for this book, but I must have added it to my to-read list because it centers around the family's trip from Montreal to Italy, through Serbia, and then on to the coastal islands of Croatia. My son-in-law served a mission for the LDS Church in Serbia and Croatia, so that would have piqued my interest.
The shadow of war and conflict that continues to hang over the Croatia was sobering. Scenes of tension and danger are downplayed for the young reader.
The books are described on the Web site as a different kind of travelogue. In some places the storyline does almost veer off into juvenile non-fiction. The characters are likable and funny, though, and the illustrations fanciful, so it stays in the fiction camp 90% of the time.
I don't remember where I read a review for this book, but I must have added it to my to-read list because it centers around the family's trip from Montreal to Italy, through Serbia, and then on to the coastal islands of Croatia. My son-in-law served a mission for the LDS Church in Serbia and Croatia, so that would have piqued my interest.
The shadow of war and conflict that continues to hang over the Croatia was sobering. Scenes of tension and danger are downplayed for the young reader.
December 23, 2021
Finally finished this series with my 7-year old. He says 5 stars! I say closer to 3. There's a lot of great information in all these books about different cultures and countries, which is presented in a way that makes it easy for kids to understand. That's my favourite part. My son's favourite part is all the silly situations Max and Charlie (the two brothers) find themselves in.
December 3, 2017
Enjoyed this book about an ordinary family traveling to visit friends in Croatia. The perspective from Charlie, the oldest son, seemed authentic in what he comments on, what he doesn't find that important, and what makes him laugh. And I've learned a little something about Croatian culture!
February 15, 2018
This middle elementary chapter book features two brothers and their parents visiting a formerly war torn European country. Told in funny but serious ways the boys are exposed to many different parts of the culture and learn some life lessons. I really liked this.
July 25, 2021
Travel to small islands in Croatia.
Another great Charlie and Max family vacation story.
Another great Charlie and Max family vacation story.
November 1, 2025
What a fun adventure! I don't often read children's books (other than picture books at my library job), but this was a delight.
June 21, 2016
Charlie and his family travel to far and unusual places. Each time he feels like they are a circus on the move. This time they go to Croatia which presents different problems for Charlie. He learns that feuds can divide people for generations even beyond anyone remembering what caused the original rift. It is somewhat idealistic to say that we do not need be able to communicate with each other do to language differences by just having a party but this is the conclusion that Charlie comes to-a great oversimplification of how we relate to other cultures.
April 24, 2015
Not many of us get to travel to places like Croatia although I now definitely want to but every kid will recognize something of their family vacations when they read this! Charlie does have a lot to endure - embarrassing parents, a little brother who could get into trouble just sitting in one place and no time away from his crazy family ;-) Sound familiar? I think I want to travel with his family though and I definitely want to read the previous books in this charming series.
July 6, 2016
Read with Adrian
March 9, 2023
Very good, warm and rare to Croatia being profiled in a children's narrative. Good also the troubles Croatia faced is not sugarcoated.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews