Deborah van der LindeMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
By Ransome Riggs
Given that the movie will soon be released, I decided that this would be the perfect time to write a review about Ransom Riggs’ Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. I am of the opinion that the book is almost always better than the movie. That being said, I think Tim Burton will do an amazing job on this one.
This story revolves around Jacob, who grew up listening to his grandfather’s stories until he became too old to believe them anymore. Then one day tragedy strikes, and Jacob is forced to question everything he ever believed about his grandfather. Centred around an old, abandoned house on a faraway island, a number of bizarre photographs, and strange family stories, this book will hold the reader transfixed right to the very end.
When I first heard about this book, I heard that the story was based on a collection of old photographs that the author had found. The photos were of people doing odd and impossible things. From what I heard at the time, the author was so inspired by the photos that he wrote this story around them. I was so fascinated by the premise and the old photos that I decided I had to read the story – the pictures (as seen in the book) are wonderfully strange.
If I had to sum up this story using only two words, I would choose chilling and suspenseful, without a doubt. If I could add in a third word, it would be gripping. This is a wonderfully creative story for young adults, though maybe a little on the scary side. If you are like me, then I would recommend reading this book during the day time – especially sunny mornings. If you love scary stories, then this is a perfect read for those dark, stormy nights. It was impressive how the author managed to balance the suspense and scariness of the story while still advancing the plot. The pictures take an eerie novel and make it even spookier.
This book also comes with not only a fun book trailer, but the author also created a video explaining his motivations for creating the trailer and the book. Both are wonderful. For good measure, I’ve included the trailer of the movie. You can find the links below. Happy Reading – and watching!
Book Trailer:
