April 2012 Debut of the Month and Winner of The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition 2011.
This well-written and action-packed debut is even being considered the new Harry Potter for its originality but we'd say X-Men meets Oliver Twist with a whiff of Lemony Snicket thrown in is a more accurate placement. It's a terrific romp of an adventure set in Victorian London and featuring a band of talented misfits, who at night are a Victorian sideshow, but by day they are a band of crime fighters who put their extraordinarily special talents to good use by solving the monstrous mysteries that surround their every move in grimy London.
Meet Sheba, the wolf girl; Sister Moon who is faster than the eye can see and Monkeyboy, the human stink bomb. Be an early adopter and read Freaks before it becomes a bestseller!
A message from Barry Cunningham, Publisher of Freaks: I loved the way this book smells! You can practically inhale the strange aromas of stinky streets, rotting rivers and slimy villains. You will find your nose twitching as the story of the most amazing misfit crime fighters unfurls in your hands. Freaks is the worthy winner of this year's Times/Chicken House new writers' competition. Kieran Larwood has created one of the best new stories of the year!
“the most original central characters…it rose to the top.” - Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, a judge of The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition
“A really exciting debut full of mystery, adventure and dark humour” - The Bookseller
Author
About Kieran Larwood
Kieran Larwood was born in Kenya. He moved to the UK when he was 2 and lived in various places before settling on the Isle of Wight where he can still be found: exploring rockpools, climbing trees and writing - slowly disappearing behind a mountain of notebooks and empty coffee mugs. He taught Reception class in a primary school for fifteen years before becoming a full-time author.
Kieran’s books have won several awards, including the Blue Peter Best Story and the Prix Sorcières.
He is inspired by a life-long love of fantasy stories, which all began when – as a young boy – he picked up a copy of The Hobbit and saw the map inside. It just goes to show – you never know where opening a book will lead…
