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Freaks
Weirdest. Crime Fighters. Ever. Sheba, the fur-faced Wolfgirl, can sniff out a threat from miles away. Monkeyboy clambers up buildings in the blink of an eye -- then drops deadly stink bombs of his own making (yes, THAT kind)! Sister Moon sees in the dark, and moves at the speed of light. Born with weird abnormalities that make them misfits, these FREAKS spend their nights on public display, trapped in a traveling Victorian sideshow. But during the day, they put their strange talents to They solve the most sinister crimes. And in a dank, desperate world of crooks and child-snatchers, they're determined to defend London's most innocent the street urchins disappearing from the city's streets.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2012
38 people are currently reading
1279 people want to read
About the author
Kieran Larwood
23 books282 followersKieran Larwood is the author of Freaks, and was the winner of the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition 2011.
Kieran is one of only two male Reception class teachers on the Isle of Wight.
His days mainly consist of singing nursery rhymes, tying shoelaces, trying to locate who has had an ‘accident’ by sense of smell alone, and vast, endless mountains of paperwork.
Kieran graduated from Southampton University with a degree in English, and also did a foundation year at Falmouth College of Art. Ever since he first read The Hobbit at age six, he has been passionate about stories and storytelling.
Kieran lives with his family on the Isle of Wight. It is his dream to write full time and leave the ‘accidents’ to someone else.
Kieran is one of only two male Reception class teachers on the Isle of Wight.
His days mainly consist of singing nursery rhymes, tying shoelaces, trying to locate who has had an ‘accident’ by sense of smell alone, and vast, endless mountains of paperwork.
Kieran graduated from Southampton University with a degree in English, and also did a foundation year at Falmouth College of Art. Ever since he first read The Hobbit at age six, he has been passionate about stories and storytelling.
Kieran lives with his family on the Isle of Wight. It is his dream to write full time and leave the ‘accidents’ to someone else.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
October 23, 2023
A delightfully charming read, brimming with genuinely unique characters, who stumble onto an epic mystery and later embark on a fabulously frightening, daring adventure to solve it; with the entire tale brilliantly set in London, in 1851.
The most unlikely of pals, our cast of characters have been tossed together due to circumstances far beyond their control. Despite the vast differences among them, and deplorable living conditions; they offer support and form a formidable team.
Sheba, the sweetest, kindest, most compassionate little wolf-girl to ever walk the earth, narrates for us. Luckily, we have only a glimpse of her time caged with a sickly two-headed lamb for company before she is purchased to join a much larger Freak Show. Her new family consists of a spirited, smart-mouthed, bitter Monkey-Boy; Mama Rat, the pipe-smoking sweet-natured woman that appears to communicate telepathically with her “babies”; six giant rats that prove ingenious and endearing; Moon Girl, the soft-spoken, but surprisingly deadly ninja; a gargantuan hulk of a man, Gigantus and undoubtedly the most ornery, mischievous horse that has ever existed.
If this hasn’t piqued your interest, the mystery certainly will. Our freaks aren’t the lowest rung on the ladder in London during these times. Mudlarks are beneath them. These people spend entire days trolling the filthy, slimy banks and bottom of the polluted Thames River searching for any scrap that could be sold for a penny or two. When the mudlark children begin disappearing, no one would care, if Sheba hadn’t met Till.
The tiny, filthy mudlark stole into the show, marveling as Sheba, captive in her cramped quarters, frightened away grown men. For one fleeting moment, there were simply two little girls chatting. Sheba’s heart had never been so full as when Till slipped a chipped marble into her small, furry hand.
What follows is a quick-paced, exciting escapade that reveals a plan so sinister and devious, this reader was floored. Packed with action, compassion, engaging and humorous dialogue and a mystery beyond belief, this is certainly one of the coolest books I’ve read.
Although this is written for Middle Graders, and I am no longer even a “Young” Adult, I was completely immersed, in part, I think, because (as a teen) I actually visited a traveling Freak Show. I am curious to see how today’s American 10 – 14 year olds view this obscure concept. The astute addition of the author’s notes detailing that, while this is a work of fiction; the deplorable conditions of London during this time were very, very real. He generously includes pictures of London Street Children, along with brief biographies of historic figures mentioned. The combination of a truly ingenious, remarkable story; supported with stranger-than-fiction facts of a time so long ago it seems unfathomable, makes this a fabulously superb book that will be a treasure to any reader.
This review was written for Buried Under Books Blog.
The most unlikely of pals, our cast of characters have been tossed together due to circumstances far beyond their control. Despite the vast differences among them, and deplorable living conditions; they offer support and form a formidable team.
Sheba, the sweetest, kindest, most compassionate little wolf-girl to ever walk the earth, narrates for us. Luckily, we have only a glimpse of her time caged with a sickly two-headed lamb for company before she is purchased to join a much larger Freak Show. Her new family consists of a spirited, smart-mouthed, bitter Monkey-Boy; Mama Rat, the pipe-smoking sweet-natured woman that appears to communicate telepathically with her “babies”; six giant rats that prove ingenious and endearing; Moon Girl, the soft-spoken, but surprisingly deadly ninja; a gargantuan hulk of a man, Gigantus and undoubtedly the most ornery, mischievous horse that has ever existed.
If this hasn’t piqued your interest, the mystery certainly will. Our freaks aren’t the lowest rung on the ladder in London during these times. Mudlarks are beneath them. These people spend entire days trolling the filthy, slimy banks and bottom of the polluted Thames River searching for any scrap that could be sold for a penny or two. When the mudlark children begin disappearing, no one would care, if Sheba hadn’t met Till.
The tiny, filthy mudlark stole into the show, marveling as Sheba, captive in her cramped quarters, frightened away grown men. For one fleeting moment, there were simply two little girls chatting. Sheba’s heart had never been so full as when Till slipped a chipped marble into her small, furry hand.
What follows is a quick-paced, exciting escapade that reveals a plan so sinister and devious, this reader was floored. Packed with action, compassion, engaging and humorous dialogue and a mystery beyond belief, this is certainly one of the coolest books I’ve read.
Although this is written for Middle Graders, and I am no longer even a “Young” Adult, I was completely immersed, in part, I think, because (as a teen) I actually visited a traveling Freak Show. I am curious to see how today’s American 10 – 14 year olds view this obscure concept. The astute addition of the author’s notes detailing that, while this is a work of fiction; the deplorable conditions of London during this time were very, very real. He generously includes pictures of London Street Children, along with brief biographies of historic figures mentioned. The combination of a truly ingenious, remarkable story; supported with stranger-than-fiction facts of a time so long ago it seems unfathomable, makes this a fabulously superb book that will be a treasure to any reader.
This review was written for Buried Under Books Blog.
July 23, 2016
One Sentence Review: It definitely has its moments and there are elements at work that could be keen, but ultimately I wasn't a fan of some of the racial elements (one character seems to be a "freak" simply because she's Asian) and some of the plotting bordered on the rote.
October 30, 2017
The book started off slow paced but after awhile, it became a little more exciting and the "Freaks" used their "talents" to defeat the bad guys and the ending left off so that the reader is left wondering what happens next. By day, they're fighting crime and solving a mystery, by night they are just freaks at a show for people to watch and criticize. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery/action books because this book has both. The ending also left off with Sheba (The main Protagonist) knowing a little bit of her past life before being at shows. The only downside is that it took awhile in the book for action or even an big impacting event to happen. All in all I would give this book a solid four stars.
March 21, 2013
In the book world, this was to me what Hotel Transylvania was in the movie world - a gigantic disappointment. I went into this book wanting so much for it to be something that I could enjoy, with character development and interesting, fresh plot executions. That is not what I got. The main character Sheba is a wolf-girl, longing for a family but who can only remember a life of being passed from one freak show to another - being someone's property. It is different this time, with her new owner possessing more freaks than Sheba has ever before been in contact with - this time she might be part of a ragtag family. But with something stealing street children and sinister goings on, can Sheba and the other freaks figure out what's going on and put a stop to it before it's too late? Also, will Sheba figure out who she really is and where her family went after they left her? I am not a huge fan of steampunk, which usually makes or breaks a book for me when it's involved in the plot. This was book that it helped along, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to save it. The constant throwing of poop by Monkeyboy was a bit much for me as a reader. Alongside the usage of tried and true villains and predictable twists, this was boring and disgusting. The only freak that even really caught my attention was Sister Moon, but she was such a stereotypically drawn Asian character that I cringed when she was speaking, or you were learning new things about her. The eventual revelation of the mechanical monsters stealing the street children was a very 'meh' moment. Sheba was a cute girl, with a raw deal but as much as I sympathized, she didn't really appeal to me as a character all that much. I was skimming pages about halfway through, all the way to the end. This book might appeal to children who are reluctant readers, but ones with any sense of good books will probably not choose this one. And I definitely don't blame them. But props to the author for keeping me reading to the end...or maybe that was just because it was a review book.
VERDICT: 1.5/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published March 1st, 2013.*
VERDICT: 1.5/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published March 1st, 2013.*
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September 28, 2020I honestly can't decide how many stars to give this book. It's floating between "it was ok" (two stars) and "I liked it" (three). The characters were enjoyable enough, especially for an age 13-17 reader, and the setting of Victorian London was cool, yet the story had too many contrived elements. Repeated coincidences fell in line for the main protagonist, Sheba, so many times it had me shaking my head in weary amusement. And Sheba's connection to the antagonist—which is a big deal—is much too fortuitous as well. Because of these things, I'll try to come back later and rate it, give it some more time to gel.
January 2, 2020
3 1/2 stars
October 25, 2019
A setting and cast that is well imagined, but with writing that fails to sparkle and an incongruous level of dark and violent imagery and references.
The latter may be a side effect of the author clearly knowing their stuff about Victorian London, and it simply being a dark and violent place in many ways. But the story feels so much a 7-10 kind of age range I was rather startled to see so many references to things like infanticide, digging through rotting corpses in graveyards, innocent and likeable characters meeting sticky ends... presented in the kind of sober, realistic way that might leave these horrors lingering in the minds of younguns where something more cartoonishly gruesome or darkly comic wouldn't.
The writing style is not quite up to presenting the quirky and varied cast with the vivacity they could have done with. But I appreciated the attention to unusual detail, and how it pertained to the particular experience of the protagonist - the way smell is described is one of the books' most distinct features.
There's just something of a mismatch between the acute detail, especially that which is unplesant and dark, and the story, which is a little too vague and whimsical to quite match the styling.
The latter may be a side effect of the author clearly knowing their stuff about Victorian London, and it simply being a dark and violent place in many ways. But the story feels so much a 7-10 kind of age range I was rather startled to see so many references to things like infanticide, digging through rotting corpses in graveyards, innocent and likeable characters meeting sticky ends... presented in the kind of sober, realistic way that might leave these horrors lingering in the minds of younguns where something more cartoonishly gruesome or darkly comic wouldn't.
The writing style is not quite up to presenting the quirky and varied cast with the vivacity they could have done with. But I appreciated the attention to unusual detail, and how it pertained to the particular experience of the protagonist - the way smell is described is one of the books' most distinct features.
There's just something of a mismatch between the acute detail, especially that which is unplesant and dark, and the story, which is a little too vague and whimsical to quite match the styling.
November 9, 2020
I love how creative and cool it was I love how not everyone is the same. I also love how many plot twists there are with Mrs crowly being the bad guy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2024
This was really enjoyable.
November 5, 2025
good book started reading forgot about it the came back to it and couldn't stop reading
May 13, 2013
Sheba was orphaned by her parents, and she believed it was because they were ashamed of her furry face and body, amber colored eyes, claw like nails, and extraordinary sense of smell. Sheba was dubbed the Wolfgirl; and her days were spent locked away in a cage as an exhibit for a seaside Freakshow called Grunchgirdle’s World of Curiosities. Sheba’s only friend was a two-headed sheep named Flossy. The World of Curiosities was experiencing a dry spell; there had not been any visitors in four mouths, two weeks, and three days. That was, until a stranger appeared inquiring after the sale of any Freaks Grunchgirdle had available. Sheba and Flossy were purchased for twelve pounds by Plumbscuttle’s Peculiars: Terrifying Freaks of Every Size & Description. Now she was traveling to London, with an odd collection of traveling companions. There was Gigantus, the man mountain, who enjoyed writing romantic scenarios. Monkeyboy who smelled really bad, loved to shout insults, and throw poo-balls at unexpected strangers. There was also Sister Moon a knife welding, master ninja with cat like eyes. And lastly, there was Mama Rat and her little circus performing ratties—Bartholomew, Matthew, Judas, Thaddeus, Simon, and Peter. Sheba and Flossy were starting to relax into their new London environment. On her first night, as a display for Plumbscuttle’s Peculiars, Sheba met a little girl named Till, who was a mudlark. Soon after, Sheba learned that Till had gone missing, but she was not the only one. It was rumored that a giant, man-eating, monster eel living in the Thames was taking the little mudlarks. Now, it was up to Sheba and the other Peculiars to use their special abilities to find and rescue the missing children.
Kieran Larwood’s book Freaks is a steampunk-adventure tween readers will love. The book cover and story will appeal to both juvenile girls and boys, plus the wonderful world of curiosity will bewitch them. Each character had a unique ability and physical anomaly that will intrigue young teens and the dialog will have them laughing. Tweens will enjoy this book immensely. Besides the fantastical characteristics and plot action of Larwood’s book, tweens will tackle issues such as individuality, acceptance, and companionship. In addition, juveniles will discover that having specially abilities can be used to help others, instead of being ashamed of who they are, they can use what qualities they have to do good things in the world. The main protagonist Sheba wrestle with being considered different and having people stare and make fun of her, because of what she looked like. Tweens experience much of the same type of teasing and mockery when they stand apart from their peers. This book can be an entertaining way for younger readers to examine and welcome their distinctiveness. Juveniles can ponder the idea that their physical presence is only one part of who they are and they should not shy away from meaningful friendship based on looks alone. This book is recommended to tweens with an aptitude for adventure.
Kieran Larwood’s book Freaks is a steampunk-adventure tween readers will love. The book cover and story will appeal to both juvenile girls and boys, plus the wonderful world of curiosity will bewitch them. Each character had a unique ability and physical anomaly that will intrigue young teens and the dialog will have them laughing. Tweens will enjoy this book immensely. Besides the fantastical characteristics and plot action of Larwood’s book, tweens will tackle issues such as individuality, acceptance, and companionship. In addition, juveniles will discover that having specially abilities can be used to help others, instead of being ashamed of who they are, they can use what qualities they have to do good things in the world. The main protagonist Sheba wrestle with being considered different and having people stare and make fun of her, because of what she looked like. Tweens experience much of the same type of teasing and mockery when they stand apart from their peers. This book can be an entertaining way for younger readers to examine and welcome their distinctiveness. Juveniles can ponder the idea that their physical presence is only one part of who they are and they should not shy away from meaningful friendship based on looks alone. This book is recommended to tweens with an aptitude for adventure.
August 4, 2016
Way Better Than Expected
Between a blurb that promised a cross between "X-Men" and "Oliver Twist" and the dismissive review from School Library Journal, (does anyone else notice how snotty the SLJ reviews can be?), I didn't expect a lot from this effort. I was wrong.
Sure the premise is a stretch. Sideshow "freaks" with weird talents run around Victorian London foiling bad guys. What you don't expect is the good writing, gentle humor and air of grim hopefulness that underlies the action.
We start with little Sheba, a fur covered "wolf girl" with the heightened senses of that creature. She is an orphan trapped in a dreary tiny freak show on the end of a pier in a nowhere village. She is spirited, bright and heart breakingly lonely. Her "owner" sells her to the proprietor of a larger travelling show, and the adventure begins. She is excited, frightened and on full alert as she is introduced to the world beyond. Her excitement turns to terror when she is tossed into a caravan with the other freaks.
But wait. There is kindness among these sad souls, and a sort of tortured camaraderie and a healthy dose of gallows humor. At this point you think - hey, this has real potential. "Monkey Boy" is an over the top character whose role is to nail down the fart/potty humor readers, but the rest of the characters have a certain bedraggled dignity. Together they travel through and survive their surreal, grimy world.
The three main protagonists - Sheba, Monkey Boy, and Asian fighting wonder Moon Girl - are soon on the trail of the villains who are kidnapping the poorest and most destitute of London's homeless children. There is action and suspense and close calls, and more action, and devious and sinister plots galore. This is a satisfying middle grade actioner.
But what steps this up in class is the writing. There are some restrained and touching moments, some nice character touches, some whimsy and some heart sprinkled in along with the action. There is some funny byplay and a fair amount of sly humor sprinkled throughout the narrative. This is a fabulous book in all of the meanings of that word, and deserves a close look from any adventurous tween readers with a taste for the unusual.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
Between a blurb that promised a cross between "X-Men" and "Oliver Twist" and the dismissive review from School Library Journal, (does anyone else notice how snotty the SLJ reviews can be?), I didn't expect a lot from this effort. I was wrong.
Sure the premise is a stretch. Sideshow "freaks" with weird talents run around Victorian London foiling bad guys. What you don't expect is the good writing, gentle humor and air of grim hopefulness that underlies the action.
We start with little Sheba, a fur covered "wolf girl" with the heightened senses of that creature. She is an orphan trapped in a dreary tiny freak show on the end of a pier in a nowhere village. She is spirited, bright and heart breakingly lonely. Her "owner" sells her to the proprietor of a larger travelling show, and the adventure begins. She is excited, frightened and on full alert as she is introduced to the world beyond. Her excitement turns to terror when she is tossed into a caravan with the other freaks.
But wait. There is kindness among these sad souls, and a sort of tortured camaraderie and a healthy dose of gallows humor. At this point you think - hey, this has real potential. "Monkey Boy" is an over the top character whose role is to nail down the fart/potty humor readers, but the rest of the characters have a certain bedraggled dignity. Together they travel through and survive their surreal, grimy world.
The three main protagonists - Sheba, Monkey Boy, and Asian fighting wonder Moon Girl - are soon on the trail of the villains who are kidnapping the poorest and most destitute of London's homeless children. There is action and suspense and close calls, and more action, and devious and sinister plots galore. This is a satisfying middle grade actioner.
But what steps this up in class is the writing. There are some restrained and touching moments, some nice character touches, some whimsy and some heart sprinkled in along with the action. There is some funny byplay and a fair amount of sly humor sprinkled throughout the narrative. This is a fabulous book in all of the meanings of that word, and deserves a close look from any adventurous tween readers with a taste for the unusual.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
April 29, 2013
Another book I read as part of the Rotherham Children's book awards and another I really enjoyed. The ideas were new and as far as I know haven't been done before. Sheba is a wolf girl covered head to toe with fur, sharp little fangs and even sharper claws she was bought from the workhouse by a sideshow owner Mr Grunchgirdle kept in a cage with the other 'freaks' a stuffed squirrel with a fish tail where it's legs should be and a two headed lamb Sheba dreams about what her life could have been like. Rescue comes in the unlikely form of Mr Plumpscuttle another sideshow owner she is taken to London to become part of his show. Also in the show are Monkeyboy a boy with a monkeys tail who smells rotten and speaks only in obscenities, Mama rat an old woman who trains her 5 rats to do circus tricks, sister moon an assassin ninja and Giganticus a huge strong giant of a man, much to her surprise Sheba finds these other freaks welcoming and soon feels part of one big family. When she encounters the urchin 'mudlark' Till Sheba thinks she may have made another new friend until Till's family come to the peculiars begging for there help as Till and other young Mudlarks have gone missing there begins a great adventure as Sheba and her other freakish friends become crime fighters desperate to rescue the stolen children and defeat the bad guys and Sheba might just find out a little bit about where she comes from along the way. A great read set in Victorian London full of dark dingy streets, mystery and traditional crime fighting with a brand new twist!
August 9, 2014
I've see a few reviews that were much to harsh in my opinion of this book and those who did in fact enjoy it. Paranormal and Victorian London go together very well and this book also had a very cool description of the London Exhibition. In a world that I would say is almost steampunk, Sheba and her friends from the freak show tackle the job of solving a mystery that no one else cares to solve. Fast paced and well written this is definitely a book I would recommend. Also two thumbs up to the author for all the period history in the back of the book that I eagerly read.
I have to mention though that while I know Victorian London was indeed a disgusting place and I have read lots of book set there, this one does tend to go overboard on the grimy description which most books handle a bit more tactfully. Not really any reason to pass over the book but haters of filth be warned.
I have to mention though that while I know Victorian London was indeed a disgusting place and I have read lots of book set there, this one does tend to go overboard on the grimy description which most books handle a bit more tactfully. Not really any reason to pass over the book but haters of filth be warned.
April 28, 2015
A regény megfelelően fordulatos és izgalmas és Sába alakja nagyon jól összetartja a történetet, elvégre ő az egész szíve és lelke. Kicsit meglepődtem a könyv felénél, amikor kiderült, hogy hány éves, mert idősebbnek gondoltam, ugyanakkor rájöttem, hogy jó helyre van pozicionálva: már megvan a magához való esze és jól felismeri a helyzeteket. Kicsit persze kalandvágyóbb és meggondolatlanabb a kelleténél (többször is ezért kerül veszélybe), de ha nem lenne az, akkor nem lenne katalizátora a történetnek. Igazából nem bután cselekszik, csak a korának megfelelően.
Mint ifjúsági regénynek a kalandokon túl van persze mondanivalója is, de nem szájbarágós. Természetesen a másságról szól, a beilleszkedés nehézségeiről, hogy ne ítéljünk első látásra és hogy segítsünk másokon, meg hogy a család nem feltétlenül a vér szerinti kötelék.
Részletesen: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/20...
Mint ifjúsági regénynek a kalandokon túl van persze mondanivalója is, de nem szájbarágós. Természetesen a másságról szól, a beilleszkedés nehézségeiről, hogy ne ítéljünk első látásra és hogy segítsünk másokon, meg hogy a család nem feltétlenül a vér szerinti kötelék.
Részletesen: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/20...
December 22, 2017
Soooo loved this. It was fun, clever, kept me guessing and I loved the complexity of the characters. None of them felt forced or obvious and they all had wonderful layers to them that we've only just started to discover.
I'm really going that this will be a series as I don't think I can be done with The Peculiars just quite yet.
I'm really going that this will be a series as I don't think I can be done with The Peculiars just quite yet.
November 28, 2018
History, mystery, adventure - that's what the back cover promises. 'The Peculiars' has all three in full measure!
https://www.varshaseshan.com/the-pecu...
https://www.varshaseshan.com/the-pecu...
March 21, 2019
I'll be honest, the chief reason I picked this book up was because the author's surname is the same as my grandfather's. It was the first time I've come across the name and wanted to read the book because of it. - But it also looked fun and interesting. It certainly was different! The story paints a vivid picture of Victorian London, a picture that's not hazed in romantic images of castle-manors, fancy clothes, and cleanliness. It's a romp of a tale, with a collection freak show children (and some adults) stepping out to help a friend and stop a crime, but as I was reading it I realized that if you stopped and thought for a moment about what was going on . . . it was actually pretty deep and rather dark. The scariest part is that stuff similar to that actually happened. But for however dicey and dangerous and muddy it got, the moral of the story is doing what is right, valuing friendship, and finding a family in those who love you ─ no matter what you happen to look like.
There was one part where the main character did something that felt out of character for her, especially considering a past event and her feelings regarding it, and the end (as in, last sentence) while a quaint and lovely-sounding ending, felt out-of-the-blue. I don't recall anyone ever making a comment like that throughout the story, so it didn't feel grounded. But these are minor things, definitely not anything to not read the book over!
There was one part where the main character did something that felt out of character for her, especially considering a past event and her feelings regarding it, and the end (as in, last sentence) while a quaint and lovely-sounding ending, felt out-of-the-blue. I don't recall anyone ever making a comment like that throughout the story, so it didn't feel grounded. But these are minor things, definitely not anything to not read the book over!
June 18, 2017
I picked up this book from my library because the cover was appealing and I needed a book with a one word title for my Summer Reading.
This is a very involved story for a children's book and I was not disappointed. There are traces of fantasy, paranormal, steampunk, and mystery/crime in this book and fans of any of those genres will really enjoy the story.
The underlying themes of finding family where there is no blood relation, moving on from past hurts, and putting others needs before your own are prevalent and will help teach valuable lessons to children reading this book. Focusing especially on the main character's background and growth throughout the book lends a beautiful coming of age aspect to the book that will certainly reach younger kids getting to that pre-teen/teenager part of their lives.
This is a very involved story for a children's book and I was not disappointed. There are traces of fantasy, paranormal, steampunk, and mystery/crime in this book and fans of any of those genres will really enjoy the story.
The underlying themes of finding family where there is no blood relation, moving on from past hurts, and putting others needs before your own are prevalent and will help teach valuable lessons to children reading this book. Focusing especially on the main character's background and growth throughout the book lends a beautiful coming of age aspect to the book that will certainly reach younger kids getting to that pre-teen/teenager part of their lives.
April 3, 2018
Sheba (the Wolf Girl) is part of a tiny freak show in an even smaller town. When her act is bought out, she's carted off to London, where she joins the other acts in Plumpscuttle's Peculiars. When a little girl goes missing on the Thames, her parents call upon the Peculiars for help.
Mudlarks and Monkeyboy. Trained rats and stinking sewers. Foggy nights and fuzzy pasts. Hansom cabs and Worlds Fair. Just the right amount of danger to keep me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed both the mystery that unfolds and the quirkiness of the cast. Really well done!
Mudlarks and Monkeyboy. Trained rats and stinking sewers. Foggy nights and fuzzy pasts. Hansom cabs and Worlds Fair. Just the right amount of danger to keep me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed both the mystery that unfolds and the quirkiness of the cast. Really well done!
December 30, 2019
Sheba the wolf girl spends her days in a rickety wooden shack on a seaside pier with only two headed lamb Flossy for company. When a mysterious and rather portly gentleman appears and buys the pair of them to tour in his freak show, Sheba has no idea what to expect. On thing she definitely hadn't counted on though was rescuing kidnapped mudlarks and finding a rather unconventional family of her own.
June 27, 2018
good read, i flew through it, batting for Sheba, I loved that she finally found answers to where her parents were and that most importantly she found a family to love her. Hanging out for a next installment come on Kieran Larwood let is know what happens next to Sheba, Sister Moon and Monkey boy. They are too good characters to abandon after only one installment.
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March 29, 2020Not giving this 0 starts because it’s bad, it’s just that this book is obviously for kids/younger teens and definitely wasn’t my thing, so I’m not gonna rate it based on my perspective as a 23-year-old. I got it for 1€ though and who am I to deny a cheap book. I think a younger me would’ve enjoyed this story quite a bit.
February 26, 2025
Love this book. It has to be one of my favourite books I've read it probably 5 times since I first did in 2018.
The characters are so interesting and interact well with eachother. They have interesting plots and their own flaws, there's a mystery and it's just perfect. One of the most beautifully written books ever.
The characters are so interesting and interact well with eachother. They have interesting plots and their own flaws, there's a mystery and it's just perfect. One of the most beautifully written books ever.
April 3, 2025
Now this is an odd one because it's one that I was a little obsessed with when I was younger, and it functions as a good middle-school pulp fiction. This cover is also different than the one I was familiar with but I was always convinced there was a sequel that I never found--and there is no sequel.
February 21, 2017
We meet a group of kids from a carnival sideshow, each one has something different about them...a unique talent. They learn to work together and they save people. I think boys and girls in middle school would like this book most.
February 24, 2018
I don't know if it was me or the book but something was lacking with the story. I wanted to like the book but I struggled with it. I wanted to discover what happened and that is what kept me going. I'm not sure I will read the sequel.
April 7, 2018
More a 2 1/2 ⭐️ Quick easy geared towards primary school age. Was good but a little slow took a while to get going even tho it was a very short book. Also, quite discriminating and oppressive in relation to human differences.
April 6, 2021
Read it ahead of gifting it to my class library for pupils to enjoy. Sadly, I won't be giving them the book. Features the word 'arse' on numerous occasions, when really it isn't needed! The plot was good- bit of a slow burner at times.
July 4, 2021
I Loved the book and didn't expect it to be so interesting! I couldn't put the book down and read it till i fell asleep. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure and thriller book.
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