Hannah is a girl who never says no to adventure. She is currently suffering from SHD – Summer Holiday Disorder and is bored, bored, bored! But meeting Billy changes everything. He opens up a world of mystery and excitement, and a longing to be part of it all.
Shank’s Impossible Circus has a collection of bizarre but hugely talented people who do amazing things. But the whole troupe shares between them another secret talent.
Armitage Shank, the controller of the circus is not Billy’s real father. He only pretends to be for his own reasons, for he is a persuader; deceptive, wicked, smooth talking and manipulative.
When Hannah discovers the unlawful secret, she uses her grandma as a support to try and stop the madness.
William Sutcliffe has created an extremely well-crafted, perfectly synchronized and rounded action adventure. Its amazing language with the unending groups of entertaining alliteration and assonance, are filled with light-hearted humour and cleverness. This beguiled me.
The outstanding cast of characters, from Narcissus the camel, Fizzer the dog, to each of the humans, make this the best book I’ve read in ages. Totally entertained, I can’t wait for the follow-up titled Circus of Thieves: On the Rampage, to discover what grandma is hiding and what her connection to the horrid Armitage Shank is.
Title: Circus of Thieves and the Raffle of Doom (Circus of Thieves #1)
Author: William Sutcliffe
Illustrator: David Tazzyman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, $14.99 RRP
Publication Date: 1 April, 2014
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781471120237
For ages: 9-11
Type: Junior Fiction
