The Palace of Laughter: The Wednesday Tales #1

Review

Common Sense Media says

Spooky circus tale is great for reluctant readers.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that if your kids are already afraid of clowns, this book isn't going to help. There is a very creepy circus, complete with odd clowns. Other scary situations include kidnapping, hypnotism, and addiction to a mysterious substance. Parents will love the story's emphasis on friendship, loyalty, and family, but there are also plenty of mischievous adults whose actions put children in danger.

  • Positive messages3
    The main characters display loyalty, friendship, love, and bravery despite odd, scary, and dangerous circumstances.
  • Violence3
    A boy is almost crushed to death by a yeti. A wild animal eats several sheep. A man threatens a child with a sword. A girl is tied up and held captive in a railroad car. Orphaned boys fight with large bones as a gang initiation. Rival gangs fight, hold each other captive, and injure each other during a game. Scary situations including mind control, a tiger that may or may not eat people, as well as adults in charge of an orphanage boxing children's ears.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
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What's the story?

Miles Wednesday was the only person to witness the odd Circus Obscuro roll into town in the dead of night. With the circus comes an adventure Miles never could have imagined. An adventure with a tiger, angels, a yeti, and scary clowns, among other curios. Miles experiences plenty of close shaves as he tries desperately to reach the Palace of Laughter and save two friends from a terrible fate. Will he make it in time?

Is it any good?

 

Jon Berkeley's THE PALACE OF LAUGHTER is a wonderful fantasy adventure. The story motors along at a pretty good pace and throws in enough fright and wild situations to keep even the most reluctant reader interested.

Clocking in at almost 500 pages this novel's a long one for middle graders, but Miles Wednesday's adventures are so out there that readers will quickly forget about the length and settle in for a good ride. A weird circus, creepy clowns, and a Palace of Laughter everyone is afraid to visit would be enough for most fantasies. Berkeley goes one step further and adds in a couple of lost angels and a yeti. Chock full of nuttiness and a hilarious ending, kids seeking to movie on beyond Harry Potter have found a good candidate in this series.

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What families can talk about

Families can talk friendship and family. How did Miles show Little he was a true friend? How did he win Silverpoint's loyalty? What makes a family?

This review was written by Terreece Clarke
Teen, 14 years old
May 17, 2009
AGE
8
 
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This review was written by Terreece Clarke
Author:Jon Berkeley
Illustrator:Brandon Dorman
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Fantasy
Publisher:HarperTrophy
Publication date:August 1, 2006
Number of pages:488
Hardcover price:$16.99
Paperback price:$7.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):9 - 12
This review was written by Terreece Clarke
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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