First off, I hope you all had a wonderful and thankful Thanksgiving. Now, if you're like me, you're going to spend the rest of the weekend hiding out from rabid shoppers and enthusiastic deer hunters making one last play for the big buck. If you're looking for something to keep you occupied during your self-imposed exile, I've got a great suggestion.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is NOTHING like I was expecting. It's about a teen aged boy who, after the death of his grandfather, finds himself drawn to a remote island in Wales, to the place where his grandfather grew up. All Jacob's life, his grandfather told him amazing stories about the peculiar children he knew growing up - the invisible boy, the levitating girl, and about the monsters he fought. As he grew older, Jacob realized that these stories he'd believed so firmly in as a young child couldn't possibly be true. But, then he arrives at Cairnholm Island and discovers that not only may his grandfathers stories about his past be true, but maybe his past is still alive as well.
Expecting maybe a haunted house or a ghost story, I eagerly opened it up and found something completely different, utterly unexpected and incredibly delightful. Using real vintage photographs intertwined with a fictional story built from a fertile imagination, Ransom Riggs brings you on a fantastic adventure in a brand new world full of peculiar children, the people who protect them and the dangers they face.
Plainly put, this book was freaking awesome! I love the idea of creating a story around old photographs and wish I had thought of it. It's certainly got me interested in digging through old photos at yard sales and flea markets and filling in the blanks with my own crazy imagination. Bravo Mr. Riggs, bravo *insert slow clap here*
Sounds like an interesting book, Delia! Is this something I could have my 11 yr old, or 9 yr old read?
ReplyDeleteIt is a great book Stacey, I consumed it in a little over a day. I think an 11 year old would enjoy it, possibly a 9 y.o. as well, though it is scary at times - there are monsters in it as well as a death, which are kind of creepy, but nothing as bad as, say, Harry Potter. Plus, the pictures in it are so cool it really enhances the reading experience. I would say that it's probably appropriate for just about all ages.
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