Darren is just a kid when the Cirque Du Freak comes to town. His friend Alan is the one who tells him about it, after all, Alan's the one who got the invitation! Well, he sort of stole it from his brother...but who's counting? The boys are so curious they even ask their favorite teacher about it. He immediately begins decrying the horror of freak shows, and how the members were so mistreated back in the day. He claims such things don't exist anymore, and tries to pump them for more information, but the boys aren't stupid. They know enough to keep their mouth shut to anyone who might put a stop to their plans. The show is by invitation only, and their flyer only lets in two. They have to decide who, out of the five of them, will get to go. They don't know much about it, except what the flyer tells them: snake-boy, wolf-man, performing spider, bearded lady, world's fattest man...it all seems too good to be true. Could Mr. Dalton be right? Could it all be a hoax?
The night of the show comes around, and Darren and his best friend Steve are the lucky winners of the tickets. Every act is even more amazing than the last. There is no way this is fake! During the wolf-man's set, a woman's hand gets bitten off! Even more amazing? The creepy guys in blue who come up and reattach it...and in a matter of minutes, her hand is back to normal, with only the stitches to prove that anything had happened. What kind of a messed up show is this?
Most captivating of all for Darren is Madam Octa, the performing spider. Her keeper Mr. Crepsley controls her with the use of a flute. Even he admits that without it, he would long ago have been killed by his pet. Entranced, Darren watches as Madam Octa gracefully follows Mr. Crepsley's music, hanging, swinging, rocking back and forth.
After the act, Steve is determined to talk to Mr. Crepsley without Darren. Of course, Darren isn't missing out. Hiding, he hears an unbelievable conversation: Steve is accusing Mr. Crepsley of being a vampire! As if that wasn't bad enough, Darren is having thoughts about what it would be like to have Madam Octa all to himself. This freak show is bringing out some crazy things in both boys. What does Steve want from the vampire? Will Darren fall prey to his criminal impulses? Is this just the beginning of a much darker story? Well, yes...but it's one you won't want to miss!
Warning: a good amount of bloody violence/intentionally spooky prose. Not recommended for younger than upper middle school ages, but great for male fans of vampires and horror.
*Library Link*"People screamed and those nearest him lept from their seats and ran. One woman wasn't quick enough, and the wolf-man leaped on her and dragged her to the ground. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, but nobody tried to help her. He rolled her over onto her back and bared his teeth. She stuck a hand up to push him away, but he got his teeth on it and bit it off! ... While the crowd hesitated, the woman with the bitten-off hand went on screaming. Blood was pumping out of the end of her wrist, covering the ground and other people," (Shan pg. 60, 2001).
If you liked this, check out:
The First Kill: The Slayer Chronicles by Heather BrewerThe Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey (Monstrumologist, Book 2)
Shan, Darren. (2001). Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Co.
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