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I have a
twelve-year
old
daughter
who is
seriously
into
fantasy
novels.
She
reads
everything
she can
by Jane
Yolen,
and has
recently
discovered
Garth
Nix and
Nancy
Farmer.
Given
her
interest
in
strange
characters
and
stranger
worlds,
I
thought
maybe
she'd
like the
Cirque
Du Freak
series.
I
offered
— on
several
well-spaced-out
occasions
— to buy
her the
set. I'm
a
generous
parent,
and I
like to
see her
read.
And of
course,
I'd get
to read
the
books
when she
was
done.
Alas,
her
tastes
don't
(usually)
include
vampires,
no
matter
how
highly
recommended
the
book. I
couldn't
convince
her to
read
Cirque
Du Freak,
and I
wasn't
about to
buy the
books
just for
myself.
But
lucky
me, they
came up
for
review,
and I
was
assigned
the lot!
And, my
daughter
gobbled
them up
— in
only two
days.
The
books
are
quick
reading,
which
might be
one of
the
worst
things I
can
really
say
about
them.
They are
written
for a
younger
audience
than my
daughter
—
although
they are
recommended
for ages
nine to
twelve —
but she
enjoyed
them
nonetheless,
as did
I.
In the
first
book,
Cirque
Du Freak,
the
author
Darren
Shan
introduces
himself
as the
main
character,
a young
boy
whose
age we
never do
find
out. He
insists
the
story he
is about
to tell
us is
quite
true,
and
gives us
several
good
arguments
for
believing
him. I
doubt
even a
seven-year-old
would,
but it's
fun to
pretend.
He and
three of
his
friends
discover
a freak
show
traveling
through
town,
and do
all they
can —
really,
they are
quite
persistent
and
resourceful
— to buy
tickets
and get
in. Only
two of
them get
to go,
and the
experience
changes
everything
for
them.
For
Darren,
life
itself
will
truly
never be
the
same. By
the end
of the
book he
has
stolen a
deadly
spider
named
Madame
Octa
from a
vampire
— a Mr.
Crepsley
— nearly
killed
his best
friend
Steve
Leopard,
hugged
and
kissed
his
parents
because
he
wanted
to, and
become
the
vampire's
apprentice
and a
"half-vampire"
himself.
He is
about to
embark
on the
adventure
of a
lifetime,
though
that's
not
really
his
choice —
he has
made a
deal
that has
forever
and
completely
changed
who he
is.
http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_shan_cirquedufreak.html
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