Nobody's boy (Sans famille)

"Nobody's Boy" by Hector Malot is a novel published in 1878. When eight-year-old Rémi is sold to a traveling street performer, he leaves the only home he's known to journey across France with a troupe of performing animals. Along the way, he encounters wealthy strangers who hint at mysteries in his past, faces harsh winters and cruel masters, and discovers both the brutality and kindness of the world. This tale of survival follows a boy searching for belonging in a world that seems determined to deny him one.

Nobody's boy (Sans famille), by Hector Malot. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #25102.