Wonder Show

Another book I grabbed because the cover art caught my attention.  Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby was a fascinating read and was perfect for the two days I was home from work because of Hurricane Sandy.  This book is definitely one to pick up if you love vivid descriptions and settings that can pull you into a story so quickly you’ll forget where you are.  The author counteracts the zany characters and bright setting of a circus with the drab, repressed state of Mister’s house where the main character, Portia Remini is sent to live when her aunt no longer can take care of her.

As Portia searches for someone while running away from another she finds a family in the people of the Wonder Show and finally feels as though she belongs somewhere.  My only concern after reading this book was that you never fully understand where her extended family went – she mentions them a number of times, but only as passing memories or characters from one of her many stories. 

I found that I enjoyed this much more that I thought I would and I really enjoyed how the author broke up the chapters sometimes providing a first-person narrative from secondary characters along with a third person narrator to fill in the gaps – a great read for anyone fascinated with the circus, human curiosities, and what it means to be normal!

Title: Wonder Show
Author: Hannah Barnaby
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publication Date: 2012
Page Number: 288 pgs.