Peculiar.....but in a good way

I had seen this book around, but had no idea what to expect of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs.  My first impression....very creepy.  This creepiness is partially a result of the old-fashioned, eerie, pictures peppered throughout: the floating girl on the cover, a baby in a bottle, and glowing tunnels to name a few.  But, most importantly, the story is written almost like a movie, from the beginning.  The author writes very visually, I could truly picture each scene.

Jacob has grown up with stories that his grandfather would tell him of the "peculiar" children with which he took refuge during World War II on an island in Wales.  All had amazing abilities like levitation, invisibility, strength and even bees that lived inside them.  He even had pictures to "prove" it.  As Jacob grew older, he realized the photos were obviously faked, and grew disillusioned.  

Then, Jacob sees a terrible monster murder his grandfather, and Jacob begins to thinks he's joining his grandfather's delusions.  A trip to the island in Wales to find the orphanage leads to his discovery of the truth behind the peculiar children, and the evil that stalks the world.  He must join the battle, or remain in the "real," non-peculiar, world.

I had to take a second look at all the pictures when I found they weren't staged, but, real photos found at flea markets.  Maybe the peculiar children do exist......