Shan, Darren. Cirque Du Freak Volume I. New York:Yen Press, Hachette Book Group, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7595-3041-6
Plot Summary:
Darren and Stephen are two friends who love spiders, monsters, and football. The two boys wind up with tickets to a freak show and go to see the acts. One act features Mr. Crepsley and his performing spider Madame Octa. Stephen finds out that Mr. Crepsley is really Vur Horsten the arch vampire. Stephen wants to become a vampire too, but Horsten refuses and says that Stephen is too evil. The boys leave the show and Darren sneaks back a few days later and steals Madame Octa and takes the spider home and begins to learn how to train it. One day he is showing it to Stephen when the spider gets nervous and bites Stephen putting him in a coma. Horsten comes back to collect the spider and Darren begs for an antidote. The vampire says that he will give an antidote only if Darren agrees to also become a vampire and become the companion and student of Horsten. Darren has no other choice and agrees and becomes a half-vampire with still some human qualities.
Stephen recovers and Darren starts to act strange with a thirst for blood. Horsten gives Darren a potion which makes the young man seem dead. Darren is buried and Horsten exhumes him and takes him as an apprentice with everyone thinking he is dead. Stephen finds swears that he will become the greatest vampire hunter in the world after he finds out that Darren is now a vampire. There are many volumes in this series and the story continues in following volumes.
Critical Evaluation:
The story was easy to follow, but the layout of the book is quite confusing. The introduction and the first 10 pages of the book are text alone with no illustrations. These first pages read left to right like any ordinary book. The text leaves off and then the illustrations and their accompanying text start , a reader must jump to the back of the book and then go from right to left- there is no notations saying that this change is made one has to figure it out for themselves. This is manga, which takes some getting used to. I was also never that sure why the two boys drifted that far apart, that vital part of the plot seems a little bit underdeveloped and weak.
Reader’s Annotation:
Two best friends become involved in the dark world of vampires after one of them becomes a vampire to save the other from death. The transformation changes their lives and their friendship.
Information about the author:
Darren Shan (O’Shaughnessy) was born in London, England in 1972. Although he was born in England, Shan is Irish and lived in Limerick from the age of six until he was an adult. He was educated in both Ireland and England. He began writing in his teens and finished his first (unpublished) work at 17. Shan has been a full-time writer and artist from the age of 23, and has many titles to his credit.
Shan is one of the few Irish artist-writers who are now currently working in the manga movement. He currently lives in Limerick, Ireland and in London with his girlfriend. His hobbies are listening to music, walking, and gourmet food.
Genre:
Manga/Action/Vampires
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Focus on the idea of sacrifice of one friend for the other as it is portrayed in the story.
2. Discuss the evolution of the boys' relationship from friends to enemies.
3. Center the talk on how two normal boys suddenly get involved with a strange world.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
14+
Challenge Issues:
Violence
Challenge Defense Ideas:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
Manga is a popular genre, and by judging at the amount of volumes in the Cirque Du Freak series, it is one of the more popular series.
Author's Website:
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