Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for

Peculiar Children 

by

Ransom Riggs

Each October I try to either read or listen to a book that is just a little bit creepy for Halloween.  This year I really hit the nail on the head with Ransom Riggs's young adult masterpiece Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  I was the perfect Halloween book for me.  I chose to listen to it on audio, which I do while driving my commute to work,  and was on the edge of my car seat more than once.  The book even caused me to miss my turn a few times.   It is a delightful story about a somewhat nerdy young man named Jacob who is the beloved grandson of a Jewish man who survived the holocaust.  When the book began I assumed, as did Jacob's father, that  the grandfather was having schizophrenic episodes expressed by  his behavior and stories.  The grandfather is mysteriously killed by wild dogs,  and Jacob finds his grandfather.  At the time he finds him he insists that he saw a monster in the vicinity of his grandfather's body and that his grandfather was killed by the monster.  Then the father (and the reader) assumes that Jacob had a hallucination from the stress of finding his grandfather's mutilated body.  After a couple years of therapy, Jacob convinces his parents to let him visit the Welsh island his grandfather used to tell his stories about.   His parents agree,  hoping it will help Jacob find closure to realize all the outrageous stories his grandfather used to tell were just nonsense.   The remainder of the book is on edge of the chair,  time traveling,  monster fighting fun.  The book ends a little abruptly and leaves the reader wanting more.  I sure hope the rumors of a sequel are true.  The book has also been made into a movie that is to be released March of 2016.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to learn more.  And enjoy the video that follows.  While this book is not my normal genre,  it is a great book to read and enjoy for "young adults" of all ages.    And besides,  there is two more days of October left.   Spending the time with this book would be a great way to finish up the month!