The Charlatan's Boy

A couple of misfits get more than they bargain for in this comical fantasy. The peddler Floyd exploits his deformed charge, Grady, so that they can both get by in the land of Corenwald. Money is hard to come by, so they capitalize on the legend of "feechies"—with Grady pretending to be one of the mythical swamp dwellers—to ensure their financial stability ("Wasn't we a pair? Floyd made his living by telling lies, and I made mine by being ugly. It wasn't a bad living, either," says Grady). That scheme is just one of many for Floyd and Grady, and as they travel from village to village dabbling in phrenology, miracle cures, and more, Grady learns much about human nature—and himself. Rogers (the Wilder-king trilogy) crafts an entertaining middle-grade novel filled with hijinks and madcap characters. Suffused with backwoods vernacular, Grady's first-person narration should engage readers from the start and hold their attention as Grady navigates his life's surprising twists and turns with humility and humor. One final twist gives Grady a much-deserved happy ending. Ages 10–up. (Oct.)