Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Kla
Genres
Collection
Publication
Margaret K. McElderry Books (2006), Edition: First Edition, 336 pages
Description
After leaving home in search of adventure, romance, and riches, seventeen-year-old Abel, the "normal" son of freak show entertainers, is haunted by a mysterious spirit.
Subjects
Original publication date
2007-07-10
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member extrajoker
first line: "When a boy's first romantic interlude is with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl, he feels a need to get out into the world and find a new life."
Narrator-protagonist Abel, the son of an armless woman and legless man, is an anatomically unremarkable teen living and working among "very special
Now, I'd've read this novel merely for the fact that it deals with sideshows and traveling carnivals. But even people who don't share my fascination with these things may appreciate Klause's coming-of-age adventure story filled with themes both human (courage, the desire to be understood and accepted, love, lust, and the perversion of greed) and supernatural (centuries-old magic, visions, and reincarnation).
Narrator-protagonist Abel, the son of an armless woman and legless man, is an anatomically unremarkable teen living and working among "very special
Show More
people." After coming into possession of an old Egyptian ring, he sets out to seek his fortune, accompanied only by his dreams of a mysterious dancing girl...and the naive young hypotrichosic boy who secretly follows him.Now, I'd've read this novel merely for the fact that it deals with sideshows and traveling carnivals. But even people who don't share my fascination with these things may appreciate Klause's coming-of-age adventure story filled with themes both human (courage, the desire to be understood and accepted, love, lust, and the perversion of greed) and supernatural (centuries-old magic, visions, and reincarnation).
Show Less
LibraryThing member edspicer
Abel Dandy is a "freak" because he doesn't have 2 heads or 3 arms. The only thing he can do is throw knives. Even Phoebe the dog-faced girl is dumping him. Abel wants to perform his act but he can't compete. His adventure takes him into the mysteries of Egyptian mummies and the mysterious dream
Show More
girl who haunts his dreams. Abel's voice is authentic to the period--a time in which Egypt was very much in vogue. The details of Egyptian mythology and the details of the freaks of this time are very well researched. The adventure story is gripping. Dr. Mink is one of the great creepy characters of the year. The opening line is one of the year’s best: "When a boy's first romantic interlude is with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl, he feels the need to get out into the world and find a new life." Readers who spend the time researching the names are rewarded for their troubles. Recommended for both middle school and high school students. Show Less
LibraryThing member Velvet-Moonlight
Great story of a boy who is borne to a circus where everyone has an extraordinary ability and he remains the only normal one of the bunch. He leaves to seek his own fortune, fallowing nothing but the voice of a beautiful Egyptian dancer in his dreams.
Beautifully written tale of 'freaks' in the
Beautifully written tale of 'freaks' in the
Show More
early 1900's, and how they have feelings just like us. Show Less
LibraryThing member ohioyalibrarian
I loved this book!!!!!!!! It's about a boy who is born to a mother with no arms and a father with no legs who live in a "freak community" where visitors pay to come see them. The boy feels abnormal in this environment because he is normal. So, he leaves to seek his fortune and what a fortune he
Show More
finds! The rest of the book is tied up in his romance with a mummy, his attempt to rescue children who have been stolen from their parents in order to display their oddities and much much more! A mesmerizing and lovely novel about what it truly means to be human. You won't be able to put it down. It's a bit sophisticated in its language and ideas, so it is best for advanced readers and thinkers. Show Less
LibraryThing member lilibrarian
Abel, the teenaged son of two sideshow freaks, leaves home looking for his own life, and finds himself working with the freak show of a traveling circus.
LibraryThing member brittaniethekid
I'm going to start this out by saying the cover is beautiful and by one of my favourite artists.
That said, I agree with most of the reviewers of this book in that it does talk about the boy and his out of control sexual desires quite a bit. It doesn't make the book any less appropriate for an older
I didn't like it as much as I remember liking Blood and Chocolate but I like it much better than The Silver Kiss (which seemed quite juvenile and ordinary to me).
That said, I agree with most of the reviewers of this book in that it does talk about the boy and his out of control sexual desires quite a bit. It doesn't make the book any less appropriate for an older
Show More
teen audience (14 ) but it does get a little tedious. We know how a boy his age would react to an enticing topless dance. We don't need to hear about it every time he has a dream, honestly. I did enjoy the story, though, and would recommend it for people interested in a rarely used subject in YA of circus acts and sideshows. It seems that Klause did quite a bit of research on the subject while writing and you actually get transported to the time and place with ease - the history doesn't seem forced.I didn't like it as much as I remember liking Blood and Chocolate but I like it much better than The Silver Kiss (which seemed quite juvenile and ordinary to me).
Show Less
Pages
336