WONDER SHOW, by Hannah Barnaby

The story: Portia's family has disappeared, and the girl has been abandoned at a "Home for Wayward Girls". It's run by a creepy man who has...designs...on her best friend Caroline. When Caroline commits suicide rather than marrying Mister, Portia runs away--straight into the Freak Show. But what she finds there defies all expectations: surprisingly, she discovers friends, stories, and maybe even a home.

June Cleaver’s ratings: Language PG; Nudity G; Sexual Content G; Violence PG; Substance Abuse PG; Magic & the Occult G; GLBT Content G; Adult Themes (abandonment and suicide) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This was a very strange story, and at the same time, quite fascinating. Placed in a setting that society now finds morally unacceptable (a freak show in the 1930s, which showcased "human oddities" like a bearded woman, Siamese twins, and a family of albinos). Portia is able to escape her stifling life at McGreavy's Home for Wayward Girls--her form of "waywardness" involves having an active imagination and a strong personality) to find an alternate definition of family that works for her.