Wild Boy

Murder mystery meets carnival flair in a rollicking Victorian adventure centered on a boy with a unique appearance -- and unique gifts.

In the seedy underworld of Victorian London, a boy is born and abandoned. Snatched up by an unscrupulous and abusive showman, Wild Boy, covered in hair from head to toe, becomes a sideshow freak. Isolated from other children and wickedly abused by the cruel master who bought him, Wild Boy becomes an avid observer, developing Sherlock Holmes-like deductive skills. Although he is tormented and insulted, kicked and spat at, his quick mind takes in everything he sees. When a murder occurs at the fair, Wild Boy is hastily accused. Can he use his powers of deduction to save himself? And will the talented and spunky young acrobat Clarissa be with him -- or against him? Readers will be swept along by the cinematic pace, immersed in the vivid historical setting, and gripped by suspense as they wait to find out if a better fate could possibly await someone so very different.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 09/24/2013
ISBN: 9780763662523
Pages: 304
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 1.10d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2013
Voice of Youth Advocates 08/01/2013 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Booklist 09/01/2013 pg. 122
Publishers Weekly 09/30/2013
School Library Journal 10/01/2013 pg. 104
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2013 pg. 161
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2014 pg. 82 - Marginal, Seriously Flawed

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 161355 / Wild Boy
Reading Level: 4.6 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 8