nostalgic gothic horror 
 small town 1920's America 
 Two 13 year old boy on the cusp of, and anticipating, the adult world 
 A week before Halloween. 
 A sinister carnival and freakshow arrives in town, hot on the heels of a lightning rod salesman predicting a storm. 
 Hints at promises of eternal youth (carousel), confronts prospect of decrepit old age (hall of mirrors), and seduces some of the populace 
 The friends and one's aged father combat the evil behind the carnival 
 Beautifully evocative poetic language 
 Perfect read in the week before Halloween