Sirque du Freak by Darren Shan
It´s impossible to put down!
Introduction
The book I read was called Cirque du Freak. This is a quick and easy to read thriller for the whole family. Darren Shan tells this 266 page "true story" about his life as a child wonderfully. This story is an attention grabber and once you start, it will be hard to put down.
Setting
The setting itself is pretty simple. It starts in what I assume is about a fifth or sixth grade classroom and then falls into the circus. Of course, this is no ordinary circus; it is an “underground” circus. Since the circus is illegal, it is well hidden. It takes place deep in the ghetto of a city, in an old run down building, where it is dark and creepy. The setting really only matter in the beginning, as it sets up the mood for the novel, a creepy scary place that is full of surprises. One can never anticipate what happens next.
Plot
As I have mentioned, and what makes this novel even more interesting, is that the author claims that this story is true. As I read through, I found that hard to believe. The author starts us in a classroom with a couple of kids, of which I assumed were about ten to twelve years old. One of the kids, Steve “Leopard” Leonard, steals a flyer he found in his brothers room about a new circus that is in town. As Steve is showing off this really cool circus that is in town made for adults only, his teacher interrupts him and takes the flyer away, next, the kids find themselves in a long lecture about these freak circuses and how bad they really are. This lecture only entices the children even more. Darren Shan and Steve Leonard end up being the only two boys that can go to the show. This is where the adventure and action begin. Finally, the boys get to go to the circus; they snuck away from home and had head for their doom. In the circus they see many crazy, scary, and freaky people. The particular favourite of Darren Shan is Mr. Crepsley, and his