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A review by alice_digest
Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones
3.0
3.5 which seems to have become my default rating for "it was pretty good" books! I enjoyed the murky 18th century setting, and it's darker than I expected with a decent mystery and memorable characters.
Wild Boy is covered in hair from head to toe and has been abused and treated as a 'freak' all of his life, either in the workhouse or as part of a Freak Show. He's angry with a quick temper but he also has an unusual memory and a gift for spotting clues and solving mysteries. He is forced to use these skills to clear his name and catch the real killer when a murder in the camp is pinned on him and a fiery young acrobat called Clarissa.
There are some dark themes in this novel, which surprised me for a target audience of 11-12 year olds (it was one of the BookBuzz choices this year which is how it caught my interest). I don't see that as a bad thing, I don't like it when books talk down to kids. The freak show is a dangerous and scary place, populated with mostly drunk and often cruel criminals; be it the performers or the audience. Wild Boy is constantly mistreated, and Clarissa suffers abuse at the hands of her crazy and cold Circus Master mother. Real kindness and trustworthy adults in this novel are near impossible to find.
I thought Wild Boy and Clarissa were both well-rounded and an interesting clash of characters; both justifiably angry and distrustful towards each other and the world. They start off as adversaries before forging a partnership and eventual friendship. Wild Boy's detective abilities are very reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes in the way he can recall tiny details from his eidetic memory. Most of the adults were a little caricatur-ish, but they were also scary so I didn't want to spend too much time with them! The ending for the book opens up to a sequel so I'm hoping we'll get to know some nicer adults in the man with the golden eyeball and his Gentlemen for future stories.
There is a bit of a 'steampunk' edge to this story with some weird science that revolves around discovering what The Machine is. The man with his golden eyeball, and Sir Oswald's tinkering. I also loved Wild Boy's jacket, that kids got style. And Clarissa's cold sequinned acrobat's dress. I loved the visual world it all conjured up in my imagination. I heard that it's going to be turned into a movie, which could be interesting.
Overall I enjoyed it, and I'd definitely have loved it as a child. I'll be recommending it to mystery fans!
Wild Boy is covered in hair from head to toe and has been abused and treated as a 'freak' all of his life, either in the workhouse or as part of a Freak Show. He's angry with a quick temper but he also has an unusual memory and a gift for spotting clues and solving mysteries. He is forced to use these skills to clear his name and catch the real killer when a murder in the camp is pinned on him and a fiery young acrobat called Clarissa.
There are some dark themes in this novel, which surprised me for a target audience of 11-12 year olds (it was one of the BookBuzz choices this year which is how it caught my interest). I don't see that as a bad thing, I don't like it when books talk down to kids. The freak show is a dangerous and scary place, populated with mostly drunk and often cruel criminals; be it the performers or the audience. Wild Boy is constantly mistreated, and Clarissa suffers abuse at the hands of her crazy and cold Circus Master mother. Real kindness and trustworthy adults in this novel are near impossible to find.
I thought Wild Boy and Clarissa were both well-rounded and an interesting clash of characters; both justifiably angry and distrustful towards each other and the world. They start off as adversaries before forging a partnership and eventual friendship. Wild Boy's detective abilities are very reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes in the way he can recall tiny details from his eidetic memory. Most of the adults were a little caricatur-ish, but they were also scary so I didn't want to spend too much time with them! The ending for the book opens up to a sequel so I'm hoping we'll get to know some nicer adults in the man with the golden eyeball and his Gentlemen for future stories.
There is a bit of a 'steampunk' edge to this story with some weird science that revolves around discovering what The Machine is. The man with his golden eyeball, and Sir Oswald's tinkering. I also loved Wild Boy's jacket, that kids got style. And Clarissa's cold sequinned acrobat's dress. I loved the visual world it all conjured up in my imagination. I heard that it's going to be turned into a movie, which could be interesting.
Overall I enjoyed it, and I'd definitely have loved it as a child. I'll be recommending it to mystery fans!