For my second choice novel this school year, I decided to choose a book that I thought my high school students would enjoy reading since I am always trying to suggest different books for different folks...as I walked through Barnes and Noble, I saw this on a shelf, and I was intigued by the cover, so I thought I'd give it a try.
The book begins with a boy who is fascinated by his grandfather's life. The boy's grandfather shows the boy pictures of his childhood growing up in an orphanage in Wales; these pictures are of the peculiar children who also lived in the orphanage, and no one really believes the pictures are actually the real deal since some of them are very strange. For instance, the picture on the cover is of a little girl wearing a crown who appears to be levitating. The boy ends up going on a quest to find out how much truth there is to his grandfather's stories while meeting some of these interesting children along the way.
At the end of the book, Riggs tells the reader that the pictures used in the book are all actual photographs that he borrowed from private collections from people who search for and collect vintage photographs.This was so interesting because I just assumed that he had created the images for his book. What an excellent way to find inspiration for a story!
This book was not quite what I was expecting: there is that creepy oddness and mystery that I love, but there are supernatural, fantastical, even historical elements that blend in nicely with the action of the plot. I enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to be a part of an interesting, surprising tale.
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