Module 13
April 19 – 25

Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare
By Darren Shan

Shan, Darren. Cirque Du Freak. Little, Brown, & Company. 2002. ISBN: 031604184X

Synopsis:
Darren Shan is a teenager whose best friend is Steve Leonard. Darren and Steve sneak out one Saturday night to go see a real freak show, where the freaks are absolutely genuine. During the show, Darren becomes completely fascinated Mr. Crepsley and his spider, Madame Octa. Darren hides after the show and learns that Steve believes that Mr. Crepsley is a vampire. Steve also wants to become a vampire, but Crepsley tells Steve that no because Steve will be evil. Darren becomes scared and runs away. A day later, Darren manages to steal Madame Octa. Madame Octa is very poisonous, but Darren learns to control her. However, Steve wants to play with her too, and Madame Octa bites him. Steve will die if Darren doesn’t get an antidote to her poison. Mr. Crepsley has an antidote, but he will only give it if Darren becomes his assistant. Becoming a vampire’s assistant means that Darren would become part vampire himself, he would have to appear to die to his family and leave home. To try to save Steve’s life, Darren agrees to the bargain. The book ends when Crepsley digs Darren out of his grave. Steve is there and promises Darren that there will come a day when they will meet again. Steve is going to kill him on that day because he feels that Darren stole the life that he wanted for himself.

My Version of the World:
This is a different take on the world of vampires. Crepsley says that he treasures human life. The majority of the plot comes the very tense relationship between Darren and Steve. Steve always seems on the verge of being unable to control his violent tendencies. The end leaves the reader wondering what can come next in this world. Darren is now a half vampire with Steve vowing revenge. It is a very adventurous and entertaining book.

Book Reviews:
In his introduction, 12-year-old Darren claims that this is a true story, though the names have been changed and the country (obviously England) kept secret. When a bizarre-sounding freak show comes to town, he and his friend Steve sneak out to attend, and Steve recognizes one of the performers-as a centuries-old vampire. Darren decides he must steal the vampire's performing, poisonous spider. The theft is successful, and he learns to control Madam Octa with a combination of flute music and ESP-until she bites Steve. Darren must then sell himself into vampire slavery to get the cure to the spider's poison. This volume is neither as well written nor as compulsively readable as the "Harry Potter" books (Scholastic), though surely J. K. Rowling's endorsement on the cover will win it a few fans. Most of the characters aren't developed much beyond their names and a brief description. The slowness of the plot in the beginning might turn some readers off, but once the supernatural enters, they will be hooked. The fun here is in the details and in the uniqueness of the non-evil vampire monster. Several volumes of the series are already out in England, and the movie rights have already been purchased, ensuring that this title and probably its sequels will be in demand. By Timothy Capehart, May 2001, School Library Journal.

With strong sales overseas and a movie deal in the works, book one in The Saga of Darren Shan series is poised to capture a wide audience of series horror readers. After a rather slow buildup, a boy with the same name as the author sneaks out with best friend Steve to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler, Mr. Crepsley. "This is a true story," writes Shan. "In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins." The scenario is compelling, and the author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre "Cirque du Freak." But Darren's actions are often undermotivated: "I can't explain why Madam Octa [the spider] meant so much to me, or why I was placing my life in such danger to have her. Looking back, I'm no longer sure what drove me on." Also his intermittent attraction to and repulsion by the vampire is never fully explored. His behavior may be explained in the sequel, The Vampire's Assistant (due in Sept.), but the open ending leaves so many loose ends that readers may leave more frustrated than intrigued, especially since the characters' wooden dialogue drains them of personality ("I'm upset," says Steve. "It hurt, what Mr. Crepsley said, and you ignoring me at school... If you break up our friendship, I don't know what I'll do"). Readers interested in boys becoming vampires would be better served by M.T. Anderson's Thirsty and those fascinated with freaks by Iain Lawrence's Ghost Boy. February 19, 2001. Publisher’s Weekly.

In My World:
I would use this book as a read aloud in the library. It could prompt some research into types of spiders. Generally though, this would be an entertaining and good read for middle school students. It could also prompt conversation about friendships and the need for honesty in them.