My TBR stack has grown even larger this spring, so the
logical thing to do was buy even more books.
Recently I had lunch with my friend Barb at the Udis at The Tattered
Cover on Colfax. For the record Barb has
more will power then I do. Wait, no she
doesn’t she retired from teaching and STILL buys books! Anyhow, after lunch I had to see what was on
the shelves. Yes, I did leave with two
books.
One was Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones. It is the story of a young boy covered in
hair that ends up in a freak show of a circus.
It is set in Victorian London.
Wild Boy is a keen observer.
Spending hours locked up gives him time to become an even better eyewitness
to the dark side of the circus. In odd
sort of way Wild Boy befriends a young acrobat named Clarissa.
A murder takes place at the circus, and Wild Boy is
instantly blamed for it. With the help
of Clarissa and his powers of observation the two set out to solve the murder.
I can’t wait for this book to come out in paperback, so we
can read if for Guys Read. It was an
exciting read. Wild Boy could easily be
a private detective that tops the abilities of a famous Victorian detective.
Rob Lloyd Jones writing made it easy it to connect with Wild Boy and
Clarissa. Their friendship seemed real
and not just a twist in a book to give the main character a sidekick. The suspense in book made it VERY difficult
to put down. Mr. Jones paints an
interesting picture of Victorian London.
At times I could smell the stench of the dark side of the city, and
others the beauty of newly construction Victorian townhouses and
buildings. None of it made it out of the
reach of third, fourth and fifth grade students.
I am holding on to my copy so the boys don’t read before it
becomes a Guys Read book club book.
