Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

 

Description from Goodreads:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

 

Miss Riki’s Review:

 

What a wonderfully crafted creepy tale! I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel full of quirky photography, but I was pleasantly surprised by a well-crafted tale of paranormal suspense.

 

The story centers on the protagonist Jacob, who is a little left of center in every way, yet completely endearing. He is very much attached to his grandfather, who has spent his life telling Jacob tales of wonder featuring children with amazing abilities. As Jacob grows up, he is less inclined to believe these tales until a horrifying night that leaves his grandfather brutally murdered. The authorities say it was wild dogs, but Jacob knows he saw a monster. In a desperate attempt to reconcile his sanity with reality, Jacob talks his father into a trip to Cairnholm, where he hopes to unveil the mystery surrounding his grandfather’s death. When he arrives, a strange new world is revealed, leaving Jacob to form his own conclusions leading to his future.

 

I fell in love with the wonderful world of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children. The narrative is spooky and engaging and spares no expense in setting up a strange and wonderful world outside of the reader’s expectations. There’s obviously a heavy paranormal element in the story, yet it is grounded in the realities of human experience and tugs on the reader’s emotions. The book is whimsical and creative in a way that I haven’t encountered in a very long time. It ends with an open-ended quest, yet still manages to tie up loose ends in satisfying manner. I’m compelled to pick up the second book, Hollow City to find out the fate of this amazing cast of characters.

 

It’s got just enough in the way of haunted mansions and creepy attributes to be suspenseful, yet still manages to be magical and fulfilling. I highly recommend this novel to young adults and adults alike who are looking for a tale that stands the test of time.