Ransom Riggs
Author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
About the Author
Ransom Riggs is a writer and filmmaker. He was born in Marland in 1980 and attended the Pine View School for the Gifted in Florida. He studied English literature at Kenyon College and studied film at the University of Southern California. His work on short films for the Internet and blogging for show more Mental Floss magazine got him a job writing The Sherlock Holmes Handbook which was released as a tie-in to the 2009 Sherlock Holmes film. Riggs had collected curious vernacular photographs and approached his publisher, Quirk Books, about using some of them in a picture book. On the suggestion of an editor, Riggs used the photographs as a guide from which to put together a narrative. The resulting book was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which made The New York Times Best Seller list. One of his other books inspired by old photographs entitled Taking Pictures was published in 2012. Hollow City, the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, also made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Ransom Riggs
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Hollow City | Library of Souls (2015) 467 copies, 3 reviews
The Sherlock Holmes Handbook: The Methods and Mysteries of the World's Greatest Detective (2009) 356 copies, 8 reviews
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Hollow City | Library of Souls | Tales of the Peculiar (2016) 23 copies
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Hollow City | Library of Souls | A Map of Days | The Conference of the Birds (2020) 4 copies
A Map of Days (Preview) 1 copy
Strange Geographies 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Riggs, Ransom
- Birthdate
- 1979-02-03
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Kenyon College (BA ∙ English ∙ 2001)
University of Southern California (MFA ∙ film ∙ 2006)
Pine View School for the Gifted - Occupations
- young adult writer
filmmaker
blogger - Organizations
- MentalFloss.com
- Agent
- Kate Schafer Testerman (KT Literary)
- Relationships
- Mafi, Tahereh (spouse)
- Short biography
- Ransom Riggs (born February 3, 1979) is an American writer and filmmaker best known for the book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Riggs was born in Maryland in 1979 on a 200-year-old farm, and grew up in Florida, where he attended Pine View School for the Gifted. He studied English literature at Kenyon College, where he was a good friend of John Green. He later studied film at the University of Southern California.
His work on short films for the Internet and blogging for Mental Floss got him a job writing The Sherlock Holmes Handbook which was released as a tie-in to the 2009 Sherlock Holmes film.
Riggs had collected curious vernacular photographs and approached his publisher, Quirk Books, about using some of them in a picture book. On the suggestion of an editor, Riggs used the photographs as a guide from which to put together a narrative. The resulting book was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which made The New York Times Best Seller list, and was adapted into the 2016 film of the same name.
Another book inspired by old photographs, Talking Pictures, was published by HarperCollins in October 2012.
The second novel in the Miss Peregrine series, Hollow City, was released in January 2014, with the third installment, Library of Souls, following in September 2015. A spin-off book of short stories, Tales of the Peculiar, was released in September 2016. The fourth novel in the series, A Map of Days, was released in October 2018. The fifth novel in the series, The Conference of the Birds, was released in January 2020.
Riggs married author Tahereh Mafi in 2013. They lived in Santa Monica, California and later moved to Irvine, California. Their first child, a daughter, Layla (means "night" in arabic), was born on May, 30, 2017. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Maryland, USA
- Places of residence
- Irvine, California, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- California, USA
Members
Reviews
One of the greatest stories I’ve ever read — whether books aimed at children or adults.
Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham Portman, lived what seems to Jacob the exact opposite life to his own: Grandpa Abe was sent very young to an orphanage in Wales to escape the coming destruction of the Holocaust; all of Abe’s family perished at the Nazis’ hands. While there, Grandpa Abe had further adventures, and then went on to become a brave soldier, a distant father but a gifted ranconteur — show more especially when recounting the tales of the other children — the peculiar children — at the orphanage, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The stories — the unbelievable stories — are each accompanied by an equally riveting black-and-white antique photo.
In contrast, Jacob Portman now lives in a family that owns a chain of hundreds of drug stores. Jacob lives the life of the privileged 1 percent. No adventures for him. But the death of his grandfather launches a search for that long-ago orphanage and what became of those exceedingly peculiar children. And what was the danger that, after World War II, Abe Portman was still fleeing? In finding the truth of his grandfather’s life, Jacob comes to realize that grandfather and grandson have more in common than young Jacob ever knew.
Of course, the poignant photos and the tales that author Ransom Riggs crafted to accompany them constitute a good part of the appeal. However, even with the photos, I’d put this book against — forgive the blasphemy! — the Harry Potter series and the Chronicles of Narnia. The novel is filled with mystery, magic, suspense and even hope. You won’t soon forget Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I only wish I could give it six stars. show less
Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham Portman, lived what seems to Jacob the exact opposite life to his own: Grandpa Abe was sent very young to an orphanage in Wales to escape the coming destruction of the Holocaust; all of Abe’s family perished at the Nazis’ hands. While there, Grandpa Abe had further adventures, and then went on to become a brave soldier, a distant father but a gifted ranconteur — show more especially when recounting the tales of the other children — the peculiar children — at the orphanage, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The stories — the unbelievable stories — are each accompanied by an equally riveting black-and-white antique photo.
In contrast, Jacob Portman now lives in a family that owns a chain of hundreds of drug stores. Jacob lives the life of the privileged 1 percent. No adventures for him. But the death of his grandfather launches a search for that long-ago orphanage and what became of those exceedingly peculiar children. And what was the danger that, after World War II, Abe Portman was still fleeing? In finding the truth of his grandfather’s life, Jacob comes to realize that grandfather and grandson have more in common than young Jacob ever knew.
Of course, the poignant photos and the tales that author Ransom Riggs crafted to accompany them constitute a good part of the appeal. However, even with the photos, I’d put this book against — forgive the blasphemy! — the Harry Potter series and the Chronicles of Narnia. The novel is filled with mystery, magic, suspense and even hope. You won’t soon forget Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I only wish I could give it six stars. show less
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Book 1) by Ransom Riggs
The advantage to being in a book club with a group of friends that have widely eclectic reading tastes is that you find yourself exposed to books that you probably would never have heard of otherwise, to say nothing of actually reading. This is the case with "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," a book that I didn't know existed until it became my book club's reading choice for September. I feared it was a children's book at first blush, and it is, in fact, a young adult novel. A show more close inspection of the cover told me this would be a suspense story, and a scan of the synopsis told me it would a mystery. So, we have a mysterious suspense story. Or so I thought.
This novel was absolutely nothing like I expected. And I loved every page of it.
We're introduced to our protagonist, Jake, the son of a wealthy family in Florida who really has no friends to speak of. His uncle is a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and tells Jake stories about his time in a home for peculiar children, where his companions held mysterious and altogether odd abilities, and were chased by monsters. Jake spends his childhood looking at old photos that his uncle shows him, photos that are too strange and mysterious to believe. He grows up knowing, as does his family, that his uncle is senile. Until one afternoon when his uncle makes a frantic phone call that "they" have found him, and Jake goes to see what is wrong, only find his uncle brutally murdered. Then, Jake sees the monster. From there, we're propelled into a search for a home for peculiar children as Jake realizes that the fantastic stories were true, exploring themes of acceptance and heroism along the way, along with love interests and a good dose of time travel thrown in, as well.
What Riggs does that is ingenious is that he takes authentic photographs, black and white images from collectors that he has painstakingly researched, and compiles them here as central to the narrative. These are the sorts of old photos that we've seen, and at which we've laughed: a teenage boy lifting a huge stone with one hand, a young girl levitating above the ground, a girl standing over a pool with two girls reflected below her. These are the sorts of photos that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you first see them. They make you question, "that can't be real, can it? They didn't have the means to alter photos back then...did they?" Then Riggs builds a story around the photos (which are reproduced strategically throughout the book, and credited in the end, if you're interested), asking "what if?" What if those images were real, and weren't altered? What sorts of events...what sorts of people...would make up the story behind that? That story, as Riggs sees it, is the novel. While none of his ideas here are particularly new or groundbreaking, combining them under this premise is one of the most creative exercises I've seen in recent memory.
To make the novel more fascinating, Celtic mysticism lies hidden throughout, with veiled references to "thin places," as well as a Celtic holistic view of Creation that runs as an understated through-line to the time travel plot device that Riggs uses so adeptly. In fact, the portal between realms lies inside of a cairn...and, while this felt a bit like he might have taken the idea from Stephen Lawhead, the fact remains that you can't get much more Celtic than that.
Riggs has done his research, not only with the photographs, but also with the species of birds that develop into character types (no more on that lest I leave you with spoilers). While his writing is not astounding in its complexity, keep in mind that this is a YA novel, and he's writing to that demographic. Still, his prose is punctuated with a dry wit that will leave you laughing, and occasional flashes of descriptive brilliance that made me stop to re-read the sentence.
As much as I've read critiquing how the plot devices are not overly original, the book still moves the reader through an unpredictable arc, and what I particularly love is that it doesn't tie up all of the loose ends. In fact, the journey is only truly beginning for these characters by the final chapter, leaving me wondering if another novel might follow. Fans of the superhero genre will appreciate the exploration of duty to others and responsibility that comes with power, and fans of the suspense genre won't be disappointed with scenes that are outright creepy if you're reading late at night with only a single light in your apartment.
Whether or not YA generally suits your palate, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" is a book that I would recommend to anyone. A delicious read that just leaves you smiling in the end...and perhaps wanting more...it is not a book that pretends to be more than it is. But it does what it sets out to do well, and is a refreshingly original way to construct a novel. Add this book to your shelf...and please let me know what you think. show less
This novel was absolutely nothing like I expected. And I loved every page of it.
We're introduced to our protagonist, Jake, the son of a wealthy family in Florida who really has no friends to speak of. His uncle is a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and tells Jake stories about his time in a home for peculiar children, where his companions held mysterious and altogether odd abilities, and were chased by monsters. Jake spends his childhood looking at old photos that his uncle shows him, photos that are too strange and mysterious to believe. He grows up knowing, as does his family, that his uncle is senile. Until one afternoon when his uncle makes a frantic phone call that "they" have found him, and Jake goes to see what is wrong, only find his uncle brutally murdered. Then, Jake sees the monster. From there, we're propelled into a search for a home for peculiar children as Jake realizes that the fantastic stories were true, exploring themes of acceptance and heroism along the way, along with love interests and a good dose of time travel thrown in, as well.
What Riggs does that is ingenious is that he takes authentic photographs, black and white images from collectors that he has painstakingly researched, and compiles them here as central to the narrative. These are the sorts of old photos that we've seen, and at which we've laughed: a teenage boy lifting a huge stone with one hand, a young girl levitating above the ground, a girl standing over a pool with two girls reflected below her. These are the sorts of photos that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you first see them. They make you question, "that can't be real, can it? They didn't have the means to alter photos back then...did they?" Then Riggs builds a story around the photos (which are reproduced strategically throughout the book, and credited in the end, if you're interested), asking "what if?" What if those images were real, and weren't altered? What sorts of events...what sorts of people...would make up the story behind that? That story, as Riggs sees it, is the novel. While none of his ideas here are particularly new or groundbreaking, combining them under this premise is one of the most creative exercises I've seen in recent memory.
To make the novel more fascinating, Celtic mysticism lies hidden throughout, with veiled references to "thin places," as well as a Celtic holistic view of Creation that runs as an understated through-line to the time travel plot device that Riggs uses so adeptly. In fact, the portal between realms lies inside of a cairn...and, while this felt a bit like he might have taken the idea from Stephen Lawhead, the fact remains that you can't get much more Celtic than that.
Riggs has done his research, not only with the photographs, but also with the species of birds that develop into character types (no more on that lest I leave you with spoilers). While his writing is not astounding in its complexity, keep in mind that this is a YA novel, and he's writing to that demographic. Still, his prose is punctuated with a dry wit that will leave you laughing, and occasional flashes of descriptive brilliance that made me stop to re-read the sentence.
As much as I've read critiquing how the plot devices are not overly original, the book still moves the reader through an unpredictable arc, and what I particularly love is that it doesn't tie up all of the loose ends. In fact, the journey is only truly beginning for these characters by the final chapter, leaving me wondering if another novel might follow. Fans of the superhero genre will appreciate the exploration of duty to others and responsibility that comes with power, and fans of the suspense genre won't be disappointed with scenes that are outright creepy if you're reading late at night with only a single light in your apartment.
Whether or not YA generally suits your palate, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" is a book that I would recommend to anyone. A delicious read that just leaves you smiling in the end...and perhaps wanting more...it is not a book that pretends to be more than it is. But it does what it sets out to do well, and is a refreshingly original way to construct a novel. Add this book to your shelf...and please let me know what you think. show less
Hollow City necessarily lacks the sense of wondrous discovery that drove its predecessor, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. By definition, this world isn't new to the reader anymore. Despite that, I like this second book in Ransom Rigg's Peculiar Children series even better than the first one.
Hollow City dives right into the action and doesn't let up. It doesn't need to take the time to orient the reader to this peculiar world, and Mr. Riggs takes full advantage of that fact. It show more starts at a sprinting pace and draws the reader along breathlessly. This is an action story, a thriller, and an adventure tale.
Through the action, we learn more about the characters by witnessing how they react, behave, and cope with all the twists and turns of their journey. Each character gains depth and nuance as their world expands around them. We learn more about the history and mythology of the peculiars as the horizons of that world broaden before us.
Hollow City is strong second outing in a compelling and original series. show less
Hollow City dives right into the action and doesn't let up. It doesn't need to take the time to orient the reader to this peculiar world, and Mr. Riggs takes full advantage of that fact. It show more starts at a sprinting pace and draws the reader along breathlessly. This is an action story, a thriller, and an adventure tale.
Through the action, we learn more about the characters by witnessing how they react, behave, and cope with all the twists and turns of their journey. Each character gains depth and nuance as their world expands around them. We learn more about the history and mythology of the peculiars as the horizons of that world broaden before us.
Hollow City is strong second outing in a compelling and original series. show less
Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Quirk Books have been cheerfully producing their altered classics, which have been fun, but gimmick-y. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and the prequel and sequel), The Meowmorphosis, for example, rely on classics of literature for their characters and basic plots then add in elements of horror (Zombies!) or a comedic change of species (Gregor Samsa, insect no more! Now a kitten!) to breathe a different life into the stories. So, to show more some extent, I was expecting a humourous book in a similar vein as the above. Instead, Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a surprisingly good novel, the only "gimmick-y" feel attached to it is from the photographs, but even they work well, and add creepy corroborative ambiance rather than humour.
This is a strange tale of old pains seeking resolution in a younger generation, secluded and hidden family history finding clarity and at least partial understanding. As a child, Jacob is enamored with his grandfather Abe's stories of his childhood living on an island in Wales with strange children with unique abilities. His grandfather offers proofs - strange old pictures of a levitating girl, or an invisible boy, his empty garments standing in the frame - but as time went on, Jacob began to believe the photos were somehow faked, and that his grandfather was only telling stories. Then his grandfather is violently attacked, and Jacob finds him in time to receive a final enigma - a date and a bizarre clue that appears to have no relation to anything. While holding his grandfather, Jacob sees someone/thing that he thinks may be the killer, though no one quite believes his description of a monster. Eventually, on the strength of his psychiatrist's advice, Jacob and his father go to the island where Abe had lived in an effort to understand the old man, and free Jacob of his anxieties and fears. Then the story begins to unfold.
Riggs' writing is excellent, and the characters are compelling. I especially like that the lead is an emotionally fragile/damaged teenager who lacks the traditional Holden Caulfield brand of extreme cynicism. Nor is he painted a hero - he's more average than anything else, and he feels very plausible, which makes a nice change.
I cheerfully give this about 4 stars, and look forward to seeing further adventures, preferably with Mr. Riggs writing them.
(I would like to add that the book has a nice heft to it (hardback edition), and the paper is impressively heavy.) show less
Quirk Books have been cheerfully producing their altered classics, which have been fun, but gimmick-y. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and the prequel and sequel), The Meowmorphosis, for example, rely on classics of literature for their characters and basic plots then add in elements of horror (Zombies!) or a comedic change of species (Gregor Samsa, insect no more! Now a kitten!) to breathe a different life into the stories. So, to show more some extent, I was expecting a humourous book in a similar vein as the above. Instead, Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a surprisingly good novel, the only "gimmick-y" feel attached to it is from the photographs, but even they work well, and add creepy corroborative ambiance rather than humour.
This is a strange tale of old pains seeking resolution in a younger generation, secluded and hidden family history finding clarity and at least partial understanding. As a child, Jacob is enamored with his grandfather Abe's stories of his childhood living on an island in Wales with strange children with unique abilities. His grandfather offers proofs - strange old pictures of a levitating girl, or an invisible boy, his empty garments standing in the frame - but as time went on, Jacob began to believe the photos were somehow faked, and that his grandfather was only telling stories. Then his grandfather is violently attacked, and Jacob finds him in time to receive a final enigma - a date and a bizarre clue that appears to have no relation to anything. While holding his grandfather, Jacob sees someone/thing that he thinks may be the killer, though no one quite believes his description of a monster. Eventually, on the strength of his psychiatrist's advice, Jacob and his father go to the island where Abe had lived in an effort to understand the old man, and free Jacob of his anxieties and fears. Then the story begins to unfold.
Riggs' writing is excellent, and the characters are compelling. I especially like that the lead is an emotionally fragile/damaged teenager who lacks the traditional Holden Caulfield brand of extreme cynicism. Nor is he painted a hero - he's more average than anything else, and he feels very plausible, which makes a nice change.
I cheerfully give this about 4 stars, and look forward to seeing further adventures, preferably with Mr. Riggs writing them.
(I would like to add that the book has a nice heft to it (hardback edition), and the paper is impressively heavy.) show less
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