James Otis Kaler (1848 — 1912), known under pen name James Otis, was an American journalist and author of children’s literature, published over the 150 books for young readers. The adventure, patriotic biographies and historical books that had great appeal for boy readers, were intended for classroom use and became the classic of children's education literature.
“Toby Tyler; or, Ten Weeks with a Circus” is a novel by James Otis that doubtless will cause children's' limitless interest. The main figure of the story is ten-years-old orphan who is determined to run away from the foster home and join the traveling circus in order to discover his new employer is an evil taskmaster. Some critics considered the novel as a “bad boy” novel with only one moral – “chickens always come home to roost”.
