Freaks: Alive, on the Inside!
Abel Dandy feels all alone, a normal teenager who lives in Faeryland, where his parents perform with other "human oddities." His extended family includes dwarves, fat ladies, and Siamese twins, and his first kiss was with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl. Everyone has an act to perform, for in 1899...
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Abel Dandy feels all alone, a normal teenager who lives in Faeryland, where his parents perform with other "human oddities." His extended family includes dwarves, fat ladies, and Siamese twins, and his first kiss was with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl. Everyone has an act to perform, for in 1899 there are not many ways for these "freaks" to earn a living. But what can boring Abel do? Determined to seek adventure and find a girl without a beard to kiss, Abel runs away from home. But Abel finds a harsh world outside of Faeryland. Nothing seems to go as planned and he is even more alone -- except for a beautiful dancing girl who haunts his dreams and seems connected to his ancient Egyptian scarab ring. After misadventure and mishap (complicated by a little problem he thought he'd left behind), Abel stumbles upon a shabby traveling freak show run by the sinister Dr. Mink. It holds secrets that break his heart. Abel's grand adventure takes a dark and dangerous twist, but the dazzling girl of his dreams beckons him onward as does his own true soul. Annette Curtis Klause has woven humor, adventure, history, and fantasy into this exhilarating epic. Step inside and see the show -- if you dare. You will never be the same again!
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Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9780689870378 (068987037X)
Publish date: January 1st 2006
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages no: 336
Edition language: English
I was excited about this book, based on the cover and the back blurb which seemed to promise a different take on the sideshow story we normally see. But... eh, what we got was an unchallenging and needlessly easy book which left me feeling like the actual story had never really started. Abel Dandy...
Abel Dandy is the only normal person at Faeryland. He doesn't seem to have one odd thing about him - and although he has grown up around these people, he suddenly doesn't feel like he belongs.Abel decides it's time for him to leave and find his fortune. But the world outside Faeryland is quite tough...
Fun romp through 19th-century US via a circus boy who wants to be normal and then finds normal isn't all it's cracked up to be. Distinguished by energy, compassion, and some mild but unusual attention to race.