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Hollow City

The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children

Part of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children

Author Ransom Riggs
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Best Seller
Hardcover
$18.99 US
Quirk Books
5.55"W x 8.47"H x 1.18"D  
On sale Jan 14, 2014 | 400 Pages | 9781594746123
Grade 9 & Up
Reading Level: Lexile 850L
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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.
Ransom Riggs is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children novels. Riggs was born on a farm in Maryland and grew up in southern Florida. He studied literature at Kenyon College and film at the University of Southern California. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the best-selling author Tahereh Mafi, and their family. View titles by Ransom Riggs
     We rowed out through the harbor, past bobbing boats weeping rust from their seams, past juries of silent seabirds roosting atop the barnacled remains of sunken docks, past fishermen who lowered their nets to stare frozenly as we slipped by, uncertain whether we were real or imagined; a procession of waterborne ghosts, or ghosts soon to be. We were ten children and one bird in three small and unsteady boats, rowing with quiet intensity straight out to sea, the only safe harbor for miles receding quickly behind us, craggy and magical in the blue-gold light of dawn. Our goal, the rutted coast of mainland Wales, was somewhere before us but only dimly visible, an inky smudge squatting along the far horizon.
     We rowed past the old lighthouse, tranquil in the distance, which only last night had been the scene of so many traumas. It was there that, with bombs exploding around us, we had nearly drowned, nearly been torn apart by bullets; that I had taken a gun and pulled its trigger and killed a man, an act still incomprehensible to me; that we had lost Miss Peregrine and got her back again—snatched from the steel jaws of a submarine—though the Miss Peregrine who was returned to us was damaged, in need of help we didn’t know how to give. She perched now on the stern of our boat, watching the sanctuary she’d created slip away, more lost with every oar stroke.
     Finally we rowed past the breakwater and into the great blank open, and the glassy surface of the harbor gave way to little waves that chopped at the sides of our boats. I heard a plane threading the clouds high above us and let my oars drag, neck craning up, arrested by a vision of our little armada from such a height: this world I had chosen, and everything I had in it, and all our precious, peculiar lives, contained in three splinters of wood adrift upon the vast, unblinking eye of the sea.
     Mercy.
Copyright © 2014 by Ransom Riggs. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
“I was blown away...Hollow City is fantastic.”—USAToday.com

“A worthy follow-up, and as addictive a read as the first.”—Hypable
 
“Hollow City mixes spooky vintage photos and action-packed storytelling to continue the story of Jacob Portman and his fellow “peculiars” as they travel through time to war-torn London.”—Dan Kois, Slate
 
“A perfect blend of creepiness and thoughtfulness.”—PopMatters
 
“A stunning achievement… Hollow City is even richer than Riggs’s imaginative debut, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”—Boston Globe
 
“What makes the series soar, however, is not the world-building, as intriguing as it is, but the heartfelt intensity of the emotions.”—Virginian-Pilot
 
“Ideal for fans of Neil Gaiman and Daniel Kraus, Hollow City blends fantasy and horror into a world that will engross readers and leave them eager for more.”—Shelf Awareness for Readers
 
“A tasty adventure for any reader with an appetite for the…peculiar.”—Kirkus Reviews

“New readers of the series will find this novel a treat...Fans of the first title will find this book a treasure. The only downside: waiting for the third installment to find out what happens to Jacob and his peculiar friends.”—School Library Journal

“Riggs has created a fresh and original world in these Peregrine novels, with likable, quirky characters and a very readable style.”—Library Journal Xpress Review

Praise for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
 
“A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story.”—John Green, New York Times best-selling author of Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns
 
“Readers searching for the next Harry Potter may want to visit Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”—CNN

“Riggs deftly moves between fantasy and reality, prose and photography to create an enchanting and at times positively terrifying story.”—Associated Press

“I read all of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children books and I loved them.”—Florence of Florence + The Machine

“[A] thrilling, Tim Burton-esque tale with haunting photographs.”—USA Today Pop Candy 
 
“With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it’s no wonder Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+”—Entertainment Weekly 

“Peculiar’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Riggs’ chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies.”—People

“You'll love it if you want a good thriller for the summer. It's a mystery, and you'll race to solve it before Jacob figures it out for himself.”—Seventeen

“This peculiar parable is pure perfection.”—Justine magazine

“One of the coolest, creepiest YA books.”—PopSugar

About

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was the surprise best seller of 2011—an unprecedented mix of YA fantasy and vintage photography that enthralled readers and critics alike. Publishers Weekly called it “an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

Author

Ransom Riggs is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children novels. Riggs was born on a farm in Maryland and grew up in southern Florida. He studied literature at Kenyon College and film at the University of Southern California. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the best-selling author Tahereh Mafi, and their family. View titles by Ransom Riggs

Excerpt

     We rowed out through the harbor, past bobbing boats weeping rust from their seams, past juries of silent seabirds roosting atop the barnacled remains of sunken docks, past fishermen who lowered their nets to stare frozenly as we slipped by, uncertain whether we were real or imagined; a procession of waterborne ghosts, or ghosts soon to be. We were ten children and one bird in three small and unsteady boats, rowing with quiet intensity straight out to sea, the only safe harbor for miles receding quickly behind us, craggy and magical in the blue-gold light of dawn. Our goal, the rutted coast of mainland Wales, was somewhere before us but only dimly visible, an inky smudge squatting along the far horizon.
     We rowed past the old lighthouse, tranquil in the distance, which only last night had been the scene of so many traumas. It was there that, with bombs exploding around us, we had nearly drowned, nearly been torn apart by bullets; that I had taken a gun and pulled its trigger and killed a man, an act still incomprehensible to me; that we had lost Miss Peregrine and got her back again—snatched from the steel jaws of a submarine—though the Miss Peregrine who was returned to us was damaged, in need of help we didn’t know how to give. She perched now on the stern of our boat, watching the sanctuary she’d created slip away, more lost with every oar stroke.
     Finally we rowed past the breakwater and into the great blank open, and the glassy surface of the harbor gave way to little waves that chopped at the sides of our boats. I heard a plane threading the clouds high above us and let my oars drag, neck craning up, arrested by a vision of our little armada from such a height: this world I had chosen, and everything I had in it, and all our precious, peculiar lives, contained in three splinters of wood adrift upon the vast, unblinking eye of the sea.
     Mercy.
Copyright © 2014 by Ransom Riggs. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Praise

“I was blown away...Hollow City is fantastic.”—USAToday.com

“A worthy follow-up, and as addictive a read as the first.”—Hypable
 
“Hollow City mixes spooky vintage photos and action-packed storytelling to continue the story of Jacob Portman and his fellow “peculiars” as they travel through time to war-torn London.”—Dan Kois, Slate
 
“A perfect blend of creepiness and thoughtfulness.”—PopMatters
 
“A stunning achievement… Hollow City is even richer than Riggs’s imaginative debut, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”—Boston Globe
 
“What makes the series soar, however, is not the world-building, as intriguing as it is, but the heartfelt intensity of the emotions.”—Virginian-Pilot
 
“Ideal for fans of Neil Gaiman and Daniel Kraus, Hollow City blends fantasy and horror into a world that will engross readers and leave them eager for more.”—Shelf Awareness for Readers
 
“A tasty adventure for any reader with an appetite for the…peculiar.”—Kirkus Reviews

“New readers of the series will find this novel a treat...Fans of the first title will find this book a treasure. The only downside: waiting for the third installment to find out what happens to Jacob and his peculiar friends.”—School Library Journal

“Riggs has created a fresh and original world in these Peregrine novels, with likable, quirky characters and a very readable style.”—Library Journal Xpress Review

Praise for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
 
“A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story.”—John Green, New York Times best-selling author of Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns
 
“Readers searching for the next Harry Potter may want to visit Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”—CNN

“Riggs deftly moves between fantasy and reality, prose and photography to create an enchanting and at times positively terrifying story.”—Associated Press

“I read all of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children books and I loved them.”—Florence of Florence + The Machine

“[A] thrilling, Tim Burton-esque tale with haunting photographs.”—USA Today Pop Candy 
 
“With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it’s no wonder Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+”—Entertainment Weekly 

“Peculiar’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Riggs’ chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies.”—People

“You'll love it if you want a good thriller for the summer. It's a mystery, and you'll race to solve it before Jacob figures it out for himself.”—Seventeen

“This peculiar parable is pure perfection.”—Justine magazine

“One of the coolest, creepiest YA books.”—PopSugar

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