Changes

Raised as a monster and sent to a freak show because of the hair that covers his body, Wild Boy is loathed and feared by nearly everyone, but has an incredible power of observation. When he's accused of murder, he's forced to run from the freak show and team up with circus acrobat Clarissa to try and clear his name.

Wild Boy's detective skills are fascinating - this will definitely appeal to the legions of Sherlock fans out there! - but it's also an action-packed adventure, while the uneasy alliance between him and Clarissa is fabulously portrayed. I loved the way it developed from the pair really disliking each other into being forced into respecting each other's abilities. In addition, the villains are well-written and there's a number of suspects as to who it is who's framed our hero - I guessed surprisingly early (by my standards; I'm hopeless at mystery-solving!) but was never very confident that I was right. What I really liked about the villains - and there's are a few unsavoury characters here - is that all of their motivations were understandable and they felt realistic.

The other book on the Branford Boase longlist which I love is [[The Poison Boy by Fletcher Moss]], if you finish this one and want more exciting adventure, that's definitely a great one to move onto!We've also reviewed [[Wild Boy and the Black Terror by Rob Lloyd Jones]].