Toby Tyler tells the story of a ten year-old orphan who runs away from a foster home to join the traveling circus only to discover his new employer is a cruel taskmaster. The difference between the romance of the circus from the outside and the reality as seen from the inside is graphically depicted. Toby's friend, Mr. Stubbs the chimpanzee, reinforces the consequences of what happens when one follows one's natural instincts rather than one's intellect and conscience, a central theme of the novel.

Latest episodes of the podcast Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus by James Otis

• 01 - Toby's introduction to the circus
• 02 - Toby Runs Away From Home
• 03 - The Night Ride
• 04 - The First Day With the Circus
• 05 - The Counterfeit Ten-Cent Piece
• 06 - A Tender-Hearted Skeleton
• 07 - An Accident and its Consequences
• 08 - Capture Of The Monkeys
• 09 - The Dinner Party
• 10 - Mr. Stubb's at a Party
• 11 - A Stormy Night
• 12 - Toby's Great Misfortune
• 13 - Toby Attempts to Resign His Situation
• 14 - Mr. Castle Teaches Toby to Ride
• 15 - Toby's friends present him with a costume
• 16 - Toby's First Appearance in the Ring
• 17 - Off For Home!
• 18 - A Day of Freedom
• 19 - Mr. Stubb's Mischief, and His Sad Fate
• 20 - Home and Uncle Daniel