Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, published in 2011, is the first YA novel published by author Ransom Riggs. The story's premise of a boy using photos to investigate the mystery surrounding his grandfather's death echoes the author's own journey to compose the story. Riggs, a photo collector himself, wanted to publish his collection and decided to do so by way of a novel. The pictures are featured in the book.
The book tells the story of a young boy seeking to know more about his family tragedy. Through his grandfather's past, he discovers Miss Peregrine's home. A beautiful girl helps him to travel back in time to learn more from Peregrine herself. The story features mysterious magic, phantoms, and unknown monsters, one of which was allegedly responsible for his grandfather's death.
The book was highly reviewed, spending time on the New York Times Best Seller List. It also reached #1 on the Children's Chapter Books List in 2012. The book's high praise seems to be due to the eccentricity of the story, the photos, and the way Riggs explores themes of death and growth in an unknown and challenging world.
