Cirque du Freak - Collins Readers S. (Hardback)

Format:	Hardback 192 pages

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"Little did I know that Alan's mysterious piece of paper was to change my life forever. For the worse!" Darren is just your average schoolboy -- or was, at least -- until he and his friend Steve buy tickets to the outlawed magical and macabre Cirque Du Freak. Packed with wonderfully grotesque characters -- including a snake-boy, a wolf-man and, most exciting of all, an enormous performing spider -- the boys are enchanted, fascinated and yet terrified by the show. Darren, a total spider freak, decides to steal and train the spider to perform amazing tricks. Not realising the extreme consequences of his daring theft, Darren finds himself forced to make a terrible bargain with a creature of the night! Told in a compelling 'mock-umentary' style, 'Cirque Du Freak' is more than just a spooky supernatural tale. It has bags of teaching potential, and is consistently described as one of the best books to engage reluctant readers -- and keep them reading.

Book details

Published
20/09/2006

Publisher
Collins Educational

ISBN
9780007244843

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"Boys who don't read, read Shan." The Observer "Quite a gripper! A very well-written novel which is likely to be a hit with the target age group. I thought the characters were convincing and well drawn and the language was accessible without being patronising." Steven Croft, Head of English, Huddersfield "I teach 'Cirque du Freak' to my class and they love it. Really good for mixed ability groups especially." TES Staffroom "Fast-paced and compelling, full of satisfying macabre touches - 'Cirque Du Freak' explores the powerful fascination of the dangerous and unnatural and also, movingly, the obligations of friendship... A plot full of twists which leaves the reader hungry for more." J.K. Rowling "Brilliant, macabre tale." The Guardian "A compelling page-turner." TES "Darren Shan is undoubtedly a literary find for children. Still in his twenties, he has produced a genuinely original story that combines near-horror with mainly good-humoured, everyday reality." The Independent "A rip-roaring story full of oddities, low-key horror, and occasional, unexpected poignancy." Booklist "The author's choice of using a 'mock-umentary' style is a brilliant one... Readers will be howling for the sequel to this bone-chilling novel." Children's Literature "I read 'Cirque Du Freak' last week. I loved it. I love the way you manage to juggle the funny with the unpleasant, the affection with the hurt. It's great story-telling." Roddy Doyle "Did it with my bottom set who loved it so much, they got some copies out of the library and read it at home. Fantastic to get them reading... I would highly recommend it ." "We do Cirque Du Freak with our Year 7's and they do enjoy it. There is loads to do with it and the boys especially enjoy reading it." "'Cirque Du Freak' is apparently very good for Year 7. My friend is teaching it to her 7s and they're mainly a level 3 and they love it." TES Staffroom