Freaks: Alive, on the Inside!

first line: "When a boy's first romantic interlude is with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl, he feels a need to get out into the world and find a new life."

Narrator-protagonist Abel, the son of an armless woman and legless man, is an anatomically unremarkable teen living and working among "very special people." After coming into possession of an old Egyptian ring, he sets out to seek his fortune, accompanied only by his dreams of a mysterious dancing girl...and the naive young hypotrichosic boy who secretly follows him.

Now, I'd've read this novel merely for the fact that it deals with sideshows and traveling carnivals. But even people who don't share my fascination with these things may appreciate Klause's coming-of-age adventure story filled show more with themes both human (courage, the desire to be understood and accepted, love, lust, and the perversion of greed) and supernatural (centuries-old magic, visions, and reincarnation). show less

Klause reworks the mummy legend of ancient love that burns across the ages against the backdrop of an 1890's traveling carnival. There's plenty of humor, especially at the beginning of the book as Abel, the perfectly normal teller of the tale, describes his nuclear and extended "freak" family. Like any good YA novel, it's a coming of age story as Abel hits the road, joins up with a circus, then another freak show, and even lives for while in a brothel. Along the way, Abel meets those who help him, those he must help, and the wonderfully villainous Dr. Mink. Through all his adventures, Abe's consumed by dreams of a beautiful Egyptian woman, drawn to her moth-to-flame-like. Like Klause's other YA novels (The Silver Kiss and Blood and show more Chocolate) she lays down new riffs on old stories with amazing results. Review originally appeared in Novelist. show less

This book was a really fulfilling adventure and coming of age novel -- I think older junior high or high school students (as well as adults!) would really like it. There is some sexual business (Abel is 17 after all) and some violence in it, but it isn't too explicit and fits nicely with the action of the story. Klause's characters, her descriptions of circus life, and the view of late-19th century America are all strong points of the book. There is a "twist" that I could spot right away, but I think younger readers will be surprised, and even though I figured out what was going on more quickly than it was revealed, the plot ultimately moved beyond the twist and kept me entertained and excited.

[full review here: show more target="_top">http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2010/01/freaks-alive-on-inside-by-annette.html ] show less

I'm going to start this out by saying the cover is beautiful and by one of my favourite artists.

That said, I agree with most of the reviewers of this book in that it does talk about the boy and his out of control sexual desires quite a bit. It doesn't make the book any less appropriate for an older teen audience (14 ) but it does get a little tedious. We know how a boy his age would react to an enticing topless dance. We don't need to hear about it every time he has a dream, honestly. I did enjoy the story, though, and would recommend it for people interested in a rarely used subject in YA of circus acts and sideshows. It seems that Klause did quite a bit of research on the subject while writing and you actually get transported to the show more time and place with ease - the history doesn't seem forced.
I didn't like it as much as I remember liking Blood and Chocolate but I like it much better than The Silver Kiss (which seemed quite juvenile and ordinary to me). show less

Abel Dandy is a "freak" because he doesn't have 2 heads or 3 arms. The only thing he can do is throw knives. Even Phoebe the dog-faced girl is dumping him. Abel wants to perform his act but he can't compete. His adventure takes him into the mysteries of Egyptian mummies and the mysterious dream girl who haunts his dreams. Abel's voice is authentic to the period--a time in which Egypt was very much in vogue. The details of Egyptian mythology and the details of the freaks of this time are very well researched. The adventure story is gripping. Dr. Mink is one of the great creepy characters of the year. The opening line is one of the year’s best: "When a boy's first romantic interlude is with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl, he feels the need show more to get out into the world and find a new life." Readers who spend the time researching the names are rewarded for their troubles. Recommended for both middle school and high school students. show less

I loved this book!!!!!!!! It's about a boy who is born to a mother with no arms and a father with no legs who live in a "freak community" where visitors pay to come see them. The boy feels abnormal in this environment because he is normal. So, he leaves to seek his fortune and what a fortune he finds! The rest of the book is tied up in his romance with a mummy, his attempt to rescue children who have been stolen from their parents in order to display their oddities and much much more! A mesmerizing and lovely novel about what it truly means to be human. You won't be able to put it down. It's a bit sophisticated in its language and ideas, so it is best for advanced readers and thinkers.

Great story of a boy who is borne to a circus where everyone has an extraordinary ability and he remains the only normal one of the bunch. He leaves to seek his own fortune, fallowing nothing but the voice of a beautiful Egyptian dancer in his dreams.
Beautifully written tale of 'freaks' in the early 1900's, and how they have feelings just like us.