5 h 29 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 29 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In the circus world, a young hero must earn his place through nerve, practice, and courage.
Joe Strong, the Boy Fish by Vance Barnum brings a bold young hero into a circus adventure shaped by swimming, diving, and daring feats. Joe meets danger and tests his skill. What matters is not wealth, but the honest effort that helps him earn the trust of those around him.
This brisk boys' adventure puts the making of a young hero at its heart. Joe Strong earns his place through practice and a willingness to act when others hesitate. The prose stays plain, the pace stays quick, and the circus setting gives readers a world of wonder in which courage counts.
What you’ll discover
- A hero earning trust Follow Joe as skill and honest effort help him win the confidence of others.
- The lure of water Swimming and diving give this circus adventure its distinctive setting for daring feats.
- Courage built through practice Discover a young hero whose nerve grows alongside his willingness to work.
- A brisk adventure Enjoy plain prose and a quick pace that keep the focus on action.
- A glimpse of series fiction Explore an old-fashioned adventure built around a cheerful hero and a simple moral outlook.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you love circus tents, trapeze flights and trained animals, or if you like a clean adventure about a brave, inventive young hero.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Joe sees what the crowd misses
- A new act begins with friendship
- Fresh ideas bring unexpected discoveries
- Joe's silence invites unfair judgment
- Helen supplies the missing idea
- Circus skills meet danger outside
- Private loyalty matters more than praise
- Glass reveals actions but hides reasons
- Careful invention grows from a promise
Who’s who
- Joe StrongA young trapeze artist and former magician who takes over a friend's tank act and keeps a secret promise.
- Helen MortonA trick rider with a horse named Rosebud, who is Joe's closest friend and supplies the idea for double glass.
- Benny TurtonThe gentle human fish, whose illness sends Joe into the tank and who needs money to support his mother.
- Jim TracyThe head ringmaster and part owner of the circus, who trusts Joe and gives his new acts a place in the show.
- Bill WatsonA veteran clown who helps with the first rescue and believes that Joe may have an inheritance from England.
- Tonzo and Sid LascallaJoe's trapeze partners, who call him a tightwad and wonder why he never spends his growing salary.
- LizzieA gentle trained sea lion who swims, somersaults and eats fish beside Joe in the glass tank.
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Joe Strong, the Boy Fish
by Vance Barnum · 1917
A trapeze star takes over a hurt friend's tank act and must hold his breath before a packed circus tent.
Easy read2–5 hours to readEnglish
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In short
What would you do if your friend sank to the bottom of a glass tank in front of a packed circus tent, and nobody in the crowd had noticed? Joe Strong has only seconds to decide.
Joe Strong, the Boy Fish at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 5 min2 h 25 min fast, 3 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 43,600 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1917by Vance Barnum
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Opening day brings a friend to danger
The book opens on the first show of the season for the Sampson Brothers Circus. Drums boom, elephants trumpet and a huge crowd fills the tent. Backstage, Joe Strong, a lean young man with strong arms, gets ready for his daring act on the high bars.
Near the dressing tent he meets Helen Morton, who rides a trick horse named Rosebud, and Benny Turton, a frail young man in a green suit made to look like fish scales. Benny dives into a glass tank and stays underwater for minutes. Today he looks tired and mentions a pain at the back of his head. He insists he must go on.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1917
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 30 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Barnum, Vance. Joe Strong, the Boy Fish. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/joe-strong-the-boy-fish.
Barnum, V. (2026). Joe Strong, the boy fish. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/joe-strong-the-boy-fish (Original work published 1917)
Barnum, Vance. Joe Strong, the Boy Fish. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/joe-strong-the-boy-fish.
@book{barnum2026joe,
author = {Barnum, Vance},
title = {Joe Strong, the Boy Fish},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/joe-strong-the-boy-fish},
note = {First published 1917}
}
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What is Joe Strong, the Boy Fish about?
It follows Joe Strong, a young trapeze artist, during one circus season. When a friend falls ill in the glass tank, Joe takes over the underwater act and keeps building new tricks with goldfish and a sea lion.
Who is Benny Turton in the story?
Benny is the gentle human fish of the Sampson Brothers Circus. He holds his breath in a glass tank, falls ill on opening day, and his need for care shapes Joe's choices throughout the book.
Do I need to read the earlier Joe Strong books first?
No. Chapter two gives a short account of the first two books, so new readers learn about Joe's past as a magician and trapeze artist, and the story then stands on its own.
The author
Vance Barnum
Adventure fiction pseudonym
Vance Barnum wrote juvenile adventure fiction in the early twentieth century, including the Joe Strong series about a young magician, trapeze artist and tank performer. The stories were written for boys and girls who liked circus life, travel and clean action, and they use plain language, quick chapters and facts about the trades they describe.
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