{"id":1437,"date":"2014-02-14T15:27:15","date_gmt":"2014-02-14T19:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~reviewing\/?page_id=1437"},"modified":"2014-02-14T15:37:05","modified_gmt":"2014-02-14T19:37:05","slug":"riggs-latest-work-extends-peculiars-series","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reviewing\/?page_id=1437","title":{"rendered":"‘Peculiars’ series sequel succeeds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted February 14, 2014<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Peregrine\u2019s Home for Peculiar Children\u201d
\nBy Ransom Riggs<\/p>\n

By EMILIA NUNN<\/p>\n

In the sequel to his bestselling novel \u201cMiss Peregrine\u2019s Home for Peculiar Children,\u201d Ransom Riggs continues the strange and twisting world of peculiars and their dangerous enemies.<\/p>\n

\u201cHollow City\u201d continues with the wondrous use of bizarre antique photographs, which help to outline the story and its characters. The novel picks up with the narrator, Jacob Portman, and his band of peculiar friends leaving the island they called home after it has been destroyed. They soon find themselves stuck in 1940s Britain at the height of the World War II German Blitzkrieg, and no plan to keep themselves safe from the enemies who hope to destroy them.<\/p>\n

This sequel introduces the reader to a variety of new characters, both peculiar and ordinary, as well as gives a more concrete outline to the world of the peculiars. Although Riggs\u2019 first novel in the series created a world easy enough to believe, it still left so many questions unanswered. By moving the characters from the limited safety of the island, the author is able to open up a whole new world for the children to explore.<\/p>\n

By working with such a secretive topic as \u201cpeculiar children,\u201d who hide their powers, Riggs\u2019 set up a difficult task to introduce them to a narrative world of normal characters. However, he does this seamlessly, as in the following excerpt: \u201cApologies if I failed to properly introduce myself,\u201d said the Gypsy leader. \u201cMy name is Bekhir Bekhmanatov. And you are our honored guests.\u201d He bowed deeply. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell us you were syndrigasti?\u201d<\/p>\n

“We gaped at him. He had used the ancient name for peculiars, the one Miss Peregrine had taught us,\u201d he wrote. In this excerpt, Jacob and his peculiar friends begin to realize they are not alone in the world.<\/p>\n

My one quandary with the novel is the believability of the narrator\u2019s thought process. It is difficult for me as a reader to believe that Jacob Portman, who has been sheltered for most of his life, would throw caution (and his parents) to the wind in the hopes of staying close to a peculiar girl. It is not his lack of adventure that causes me to question him, but rather his lack of passion for the quest he chooses. If the girl is what holds him in the novel, then there needs to be more pull for me.<\/p>\n

However, I do understand the constraints put on young adult authors to keep their work \u201csmut\u201d free, and this does cause a challenge when trying to display a deep desire between two young adults. In this genre, I believe Riggs excels, as he is able to mix the fascinating traits of the peculiar children, with the terrifying adult choices they are forced to make. This combination gives the narrator\u2019s voice an \u201con the edge\u201d of adulthood feel, as if one major moment will eliminate his childhood forever. Riggs\u2019 writing clarifies how important childhood is, as well as how easily it is lost.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m looking forward to the next novel in this series and the fascinating pictures it will portray. That will always be one of my favorite parts of Rigg\u2019s storytelling: his ability to piece together a complex and expressive plot all through the use of a few antique photographs. It leaves me wondering, what if all books were pieced together this way? What kind of literature would we find then? These pictures illustrate intriguing animals, strange landscapes and confusing contraptions, allowing the reader\u2019s mind to wander even further into a world of the peculiar.<\/p>\n

Overall, I believe this novel was a successful sequel to Rigg\u2019s first novel in the series, and that these peculiar children will find their names alongside those of Katniss, and Harry, and Jace. In a world where young adult literature is becoming darker and stronger, Ransom Riggs has earned a spot at the top.<\/p>\n