I loved this book and must gt round to reading the follow up - Milly was too impatient and read it without me. Its right up my street - a hairy freak boy and an acrobat girl escape from the circus to try and solve a murder and clear his name. Its hectic, grimy and entertaining. ( )

Narrated by James Clamp. Wild Boy is reviled and bullied by everyone because of his excessive body hair and his life is reduced to working as a hairy sideshow freak. He becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a circus performer. But thanks to his acute observation skills and the assistance of Clarissa, a circus acrobat, Wild Boy determines to clear his name and uncover the true murderer. Plenty of action, suspense and some gore (thanks to the electrical invention at the center of the murder plot) are voiced with tension and relish by the Brit-voiced Clamp. An entertaining listen for families whose kids enjoy scary action stories. ( )

Sherlock Holmes/Mentalist meets 1800s England circus/ freak show world. What a great concept! Boy suffering from the hirsuitism is abandoned at birth in an orphanage where he is known only as "Wild boy". His fighting spirit after torment by the other boys causes him to be locked away for hours at a time. Here he develops amazing powers of observation though gazing through a window at the passers by below. The book opens with a show man coming to the orphanage to purchase wild boy for his freak show - a side carnival to the circus where people who are different are exhibited to the general public for money ( like the Elephant Man). Wild Boy accepts his life with the show man and his legless man servant but one day a man stumbles into the circus/freak show who doesn't below carrying a warning for one of their own. When the professor is murdered it is up to Wild Boy and his circus acrobat friend to escape authorities and solve the murder mystery. ( )

Fun story. Fun characters. Also, sewers. ( )

Wild Boy is a deliciously chilling look at the seedy underbelly of Victorian England. Abandoned at birth by his parents because of his appearance, Wild Boy, grows up taunted and teased by the other boys in the workhouse where he spent his formative years. At the age of eight he is rescued from the workhouse by a carnival barker and forced to perform in a sideshow. Luckily, for Wild Boy he has found a friend, another performer, named Sir Oswald. When Wild Boy is framed for murder he must use his exceptional powers of deduction to crack the case. What an excellent read! The author does a wonderful job of depicting the wretched conditions of the carnival life as well as the grimy London setting. I enjoyed seeing how Wild Boy's character evolved and became more accepting of himself and thus more self assured. A must read for historical fiction.enthusiasts! 5 stars!!! ( )