MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME...........

........FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN!!
I can't believe I read this book; I am not a Stephen King fan, and even though he didn't write this book, I'm sure he would be proud of it. Many years ago I bought a book by Stephen King titled, "On Writing," figuring any person that had the following and number of successful novels he had had to know something about writing that I could learn from. My pitiful attempt to writing a book, which at this time is heading into complete rewrite, isn't even a blurp on the list of his voluminous books. After reading this book last night, I tried to find words to describe the book. It was certainly imaginative; and to younger readers probably a story that would keep them up many nights, constantly checking under the bed and jumping out of bed at the slightest noise ... but positively it lacked any bad, or off color language! I still wouldn't let anyone in my family under the sixth grade read it. The author's imagination at times seemed sane, and you actually thought, 'maybe that could happen.' But then a few pages later you were reunited with the totally insane. I know there are many teen series, such as the 'twilight one' that deal with the unnatural, but this book takes you back to an actual historical time and place; and though its not a historical fiction it reminds you how important history was in the authors design for his book. Perhaps its that historical aspect that kept me reading the book when I continually debated just putting it down ...or maybe its the 'time travel' concept, taking you back and forth that kept me hanging in there. But in the end its the 'good vs. evil' struggle that I had to know the conclusion of.
In many ways I guess the author was wanting to raise cultural and relational issues we face in every day life. Finally let me say the author has done something truly 'unique.' Ransom has done a great deal of research and found photo's [and some of these are pretty weird] to 'document' his story line; its akin to a Barnum and Bailey side show journey. Matter of fact the author insists that many of the peculiar children participated in those sideshows, which casts a whole different perspective on that peculiar institution and the true life people who were in them; and lastly of course on ole Mr. Barnum himself, if you take that rabbit hunt far enough. Gee, now I'm starting to sound like one of the characters in the book. It is interesting how Mrs. Peregrine [a peregrine falcon is said to be the world's fastest flying predator]fairs .............. she doesn't die, but..
ENJOY
RIGGS, Ransom. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN. Quirk Books Publishing
2011 ISBN: 978159474476-1

P.S. Oh, by the way Ralph Waldo Emerson is frequently mentioned.