Book Review--Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The first I heard of this book was from my sister who said she got it on her Nook and really enjoyed it, even though it was not her normal genre.  That is a pretty good endorsement to me--if someone enjoys a book despite it being out of their comfort zone.  Then I saw the cover… I know, I know, you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover. Have you seen it? 

A little odd.  Now, I don’t mind a bit of suspense, a good mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, romance but at first glance this seemed creepy/horror bound.

However, I read the summary and thought interesting.  Then I heard the premise behind how the author developed the story.  Gathering vintage photographs that have no easy explanation (no happy family pictures here… or even awkward family photos) Riggs connected these random images with a story.  Cool, I thought, I make elaborate stories out of just seeing scenes of people at the airport.  So, I tried it.

WONDERFUL!  This does have suspense, mystery and fantasy.  It just skirts the concept of creepy and flirts with horror but never really crosses the line.  The story is solid and the details are vivid and the vintage photos that illustrate the text blend together well.  The only problem is… the next one is checked out and I have to wait!  I’m putting Hollow City: The second novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children on hold so I can revisit The Bird and all of her special crew.