Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical April Spisak Noyes, Deborah, ed. Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical. Candlewick, 2009 [240p]. ISBN 978-0-7636-3752-1 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 8-10 This collection of ten short stories atmospherically explores the spectacle, horror, and intrigue of sideshows. A few stories offer literal examples, as with Danica [End Page 299] Novgorodoff's illustrated story "Year of the Rat," which presents a young soldier, lost in more than one way, who wanders into a disturbing Chinese sideshow. Others adopt a more metaphorical approach, as in "The Bearded Girl," where the circus the bearded seventh-grader navigates is middle school. The theme of isolation and the assertion that everyone presents false fronts run throughout, creating a strong connection between topics that range from 3,000-year-old mummies to psychics to creepy sentient bread-dough starters. Fans of Noyes' other anthologies The Restless Dead (BCCB 10/07) and Gothic! (BCCB 11/04) will expect a mix from mild shock to flat-out horror, and they'll be pleased to be proven correct. In addition, the inclusion of three graphic stories and a wide spectrum of story lengths and narrative perspectives all but guarantee that there is a selection that will appeal to the specific tastes of just about any horror or dark fantasy fan. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois