Mike's scruffy little mutt, Barney, tags along with him as they sneak out at night. They climb into a railroad boxcar that is parked on the track and fall asleep.  When Mike wakes up to jerking and clanging, he realizes the train is moving, and the door is locked.  No one can hear him yelling and banging to get out.  Oh boy, now what?  Mike didn't really mean to run away but when the train finally stops, he is many miles from home.  How did he end up in Georgia with a circus?  Fortunately, Big Bob, the Clown, takes Mike and Barney under his wing and gives them a spot to sleep in his wagon.

Big Bob is sure that God brought Mike to him so he could relate what happened to him as a young boy. An old clown named Arnold rescued him, gave him a place to live, and taught him how to be a clown.  Bob had no parents, but Mike has loving Christian parents to guide him.

Mike thinks being in a circus will be great fun even though Bob explains to him that a clown sometimes paints on a happy face to cover a broken heart. The show must go on, and a clown's job is to make the customers laugh so Mike and Barney both get into the act.

Someone has been trying to cause the circus to close down, and Mike and Barney overhear robbers planning to rob the circus and burn it to the ground. He must help save his new friends and the wonderful circus that he has come to love.

Max Elliot Anderson is a master at giving us exceptional characters and fast moving, exciting adventures that are inspirational and still encourage reluctant readers to enjoy books that teach them the importance of doing what is right. The very special relationships of a boy and his dog, and then an old clown and a young boy, make this a  heartwarming story along with conversation starter ideas about the love of parents you will want to share with your family.