Ransom Riggs's "Hollow City"...A Book Review

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I can't tell if, on the Goodreads website page for Ransom Riggs's Hollow City, those responsible for creating that particular Goodreads page meant what they said as a compliment.

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011--an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike."

One could argue that any book making it to best seller status is surprising (unless you're name ends with King, Grisham, Patterson, Beck or Lee...), so maybe to many, Ransom Riggs's first book in the series, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children becoming a best seller was surprising.

Then again, I wonder if whoever wrote that had read the book. It read like a best seller to me.

And so did its sequel. Hollow City follows the adventures of children who possess special powers and who are lost in time. Throw in evil Nazis (are there any other kind?), mysterious gypsies, and a race against time to restore their teacher to human form, and you've got another story that not only captivates, but entertains with its creativity and imagination. 

In Book 2 Riggs ups the ante. There's still frightening monsters, white-eyes bad men and portals through time, but Riggs puts Jacob and his friends in the middle of a war as each child uses his or her powers to get them out of problem after problem.

If you've read the first in the series, you've got to read this one. Call me clueless, but I just found out there's a Book 3 in the series and as soon as it comes available, I'll be reading that one, too. I like these books. They're not too scary, but might be a little too much for the younger ones.

* Photo used without permission from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/23164983-hollow-city

Ransom Riggs's "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children"...A Book Review

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A friend suggested I read out Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. So I did. It is a pretty good book, and for the right age group, it is a fantastic book.

I had no idea what to expect from this one. I usually don't do a lot of research on new books, even ones I know nothing about. But I did trust my friend who offered the suggestion. She is well-read and knows the type of books I like.

If you're not familiar with this book (like me...), the best way I can describe it would be Brigadoon meets The X-Men. Jacob, the book's main character, travels to England where he finds out about all those crazy stories his grandfather used to tell him. Jacob finds a school, or the remains of a school complete with photos of all the students. After some more searching, he finds so much more.

The book is about teenagers which doesn't necessarily mean it's a young adult book, even though most young adult books deal primarily with teenage issues. There's magic, time travel, and paranormal baddies. The book was never boring and it flowed well.

I think those who like the Harry Potter books will enjoy this as well. Of course, it's an introduction into this new world so it's not as heavy a read. Riggs has created the opportunity for a series of books to be written with these characters. If he does, I'm sure they'll be great, too.

* Photo used without permission from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/9460487-miss-peregrine-s-home-for-peculiar-children