Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head
1930s New York. Times are hard for Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities and Wonders. The museum, which has wonders like the Amazonian shrunken head, also houses four children with extraordinary powers: Pippa can read minds (when she’s not suffering from stage fright); Thomas can squeeze himself into a space the size of a bread box; and Sam is the strongest boy in the world (but has problems controlling his strength). Then Max arrives; a tough orphan of the streets, her skill is knife-throwing.
Every evening, they, and the other sideshow freaks like Betty the bearded lady, and Hugo the elephant man, put on a show. They just about make ends meet, until the night the shrunken head goes missing and an old lady drops dead with fright, when things suddenly spiral dangerously out of control. The four children are determined to get back the head – and the secrets behind the Dime Museum are slowly and dangerously exposed…
This story has a psychological side which I really enjoyed. It’s both very modern, set in its own dystopia, but underneath, it’s linked to the dark side of fairy tales. I liked the four very different children; each multi-talented but emotionally isolated by anxieties and fears they can’t understand. Somehow, if things are to be put right, they must learn to face their deepest fears and create a bond with each other.
And I loved the depiction of 1930s New York; it’s anarchic, exuberant and creative but it’s also uncaring, dangerous and frightening, with people who are not always what they seem. Villains flourish here as well as hard working citizens struggling to make a living in a hard world. It’s a place where anything can happen.
I can’t wait for Book 2. Children of ten plus should love it.
