Pshew. For a blog that’s supposed to be about short reviews, that was one long half-update. I figure since it’s the OMGGRANDGALAOPENING of my blog, it’s cool. Plus, y’know, it’s like reviewing 10 mini-books. But from now on, look forward to more succinct posts.

Now that is out of the way…ONWARDS TO PART THE SECOND!

When God Came to Kathleen’s Garden – David Almond

Almond’s story centers around a group of children who encounter a strange, robe-clad man chilling in a neighbor’s backyard.  When Robey McSandles starts pulling out magic tricks, the children jump to the obvious conclusion—this man must be God!

This was an all-around fun story, from “God’s” communications and Kathleen’s hissy fits, to the familiar feelings of adolescent neighborhood politics. The ambiguous ending only adds to the story’s charms. However, the lack of overall action and slow intro keeps When God Came to Kathleen’s Garden from blossoming into truly great territory.

Score: 7.5/10

The Shadow Troup – Shawn Cheng

For Chen’s story we are introduced to a three-generation traveling shadow show troupe on their way to perform at a banquet. After dealing with a greedy and belligerent employer, they decide to work their own brand of magic storytelling.

This graphic story was a winner, with an interesting story and mythology, as well as great pacing and a “villain” to rally against. The grandfather’s Cryptkeeper looks were a smidge distracting, but that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

Score: 8/10

Cat Calls – Cynthia Leitich Smith

This story, about a girl spending her first night filling in for her grandmother as a “spiritual consultant” at a traveling carnival, is a hard one to score. My one word assessment would have to be “meh.” The writing is decent and Smith is able to inject a little wordplay, but the ending seems too bizarre and unconnected to the build-up to be satisfying.

Score: 6/10

The Bread Box – Cecil Castellucci

I’ll come right out and say it: this story was amazing. The Bread Box, a story about a teen girl who visits her strange, hermit aunt and learns how to make traditional family bread, is by far the best of the collection. Of course, this synopsis does it no justice; the story quickly branches out into the unbelievable and macabre.  It is creepy and odd, fascinating and sad, everything a story in a sideshow anthology should be. Interestingly enough, this is the only entry that does not involve an actual carnival or sideshow. I really cannot say enough about this strange but emotional tale so I’ll just leave it at this: PERFECT.

Score: 10/10

Living Curiosities – Margo Lanagan

This story, about a short-statured girl and an incident at her carnival, had a similar effect on me as Smith’s Cat Calls: not really bad, but not really good. In fact, it seems to be the flip-flopped companion to Calls, with the beginning dragging on (my mind started to wander approximately three pages in) but ending strongly. I appreciated the somber look at Non’s life and mindset at the conclusion, as well as the “incident” that happens halfway through, but unfortunately these do not make up for the lackluster lead-in.

Score: 5.5/10

Jargo! – Matt Phelan

With this final graphic story, Phelan provides a fitting cap to this eerie and freakish collection. In Jargo!, we are shown the tale of a three-man giraffe act and its show-stopping creator. This graphic inclusion finally hits the target, using a dark tale of oddities to fully submerge the reader in the moods of a true freakshow. The story veers toward the strange and frightening while still keeping the reader on board. I also loved the simple yet expressive artwork—after the dark shading of the previous two graphic stories, the white space and thin, light lines of Jargo! were refreshing. And the final frames conveyed such a feeling of melancholy and lost memories, I could almost hear the slow churn of carnival music on the blank pages remaining.

Score: 10/10

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Overall Score for Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical:

7.5/10