Review: “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs

I was so, so, so, disappointed that the Mysterious Galaxy bookstore that supplies the books for the San Diego Comic Con every year ran out of copies of Ransom Rigg’s book this year, I missed my chance on getting a signed copy! Ransom, if you read this, please come next year! I will be one of the first people in line, hugging my hardcover waiting for your sharpie to grace its title page!

This is the second book this week I’m reviewing for Ghost Week here at our October’s Month of the Macabre. Ghosts scare me more than any of the other, more gory monsters out there like vampires or zombies, maybe it’s their mysteriousness that keeps me up at night!

miss p book cover with border Here is the synopsis from its Goodreads page:

A horrific family tragedy sends Jacob 16 to a remote island off Wales, to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, where he finds unusual old photographs. The children, one his grandfather, were more than peculiar, perhaps dangerous, quarantined for good reason – and maybe still alive.

You can also see the book trailer here, it’s one of the best book trailers I’ve ever seen!

This book surprised me, which is an element in a book I really enjoy. As a book reviewer I read a lot and sometimes they start to blur together, it’s always a pleasure when a book grabs you, shakes you, and stands out!

Although I expected this book to be strictly a ghost story that was only the surface of what this novel had to offer. It actually had much more of science fiction elements than anything else, and if you don’t this already, I’m a huge science fiction nerd. So to sum it up this book had even more than I expected and that’s great for someone who sometimes over-commits and over-reads.

This is a great insult: “Forgive me. I continue to underestimate the breadth of your ignorance.” Ouch!

By far my favorite part of the book, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this, was the pictures. Never since I’ve been in elementary school have I gotten to read a book with this creative element pitched in. And I’m also going to let the mom part of me come out here for a minute: this book would be perfect for someone, especially a young person or student, who usually says “I don’t like to read”. The pictures help those who have trouble visualizing a story with only words and I think that’s great. Books are for everyone, thank you Ransom Riggs for creating a multi-media story that bends barriers!

I’m not giving away the meaning of this photograph because of spoilers but anyone who has read the book understands the goosebumps this gave me!

I’ve read that this book has already been optioned for film and will be directed by Tim Burton and written by Jane Goldman, writer of The Woman in Black which sounds just about perfect. With the movie in the hands of these two I don’t have much to worry about but this sounds like a difficult movie to cast and film, that many kids?! I know I’d go crazy! So to me the film hinges on two things: (1) a budget to pull off not only the super powers of the kids without looking corny but also the other special effects like the bombs and the u-boats rising out of the water, and (2) great casting of great kids who have the capabilities to act out these parts that require quite a bit of talent.

Like I said, I have no qualms with the film being in the hands that it is but this is a creative book that deserves an equally original film!

You can buy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs on Amazon here and on Barnes & Noble here.