I was wondering if and when Ransom Riggs would release a new book, and if it would or would not be related to his megasmash Miss Peregrine series. The first three books in his original trilogy were all perfect scores on my old website, a series of adventure, fantasy, history, tension and heart that shot its way to one of my favourite book series of all time. I might even reread the original trilogy for a third time one day. Then he continued with three more books, and sadly they each got progressively worse. Maybe I just got tired out in the end. But now Riggs has hit the reset button and started a new series, and in my opinion…let’s hope it gets better.
Leopold Berry is a 17-year-old who’s…really unsure of himself. Remarkably average. Only has a few friends, including a guy named Emmet. The two of them used to fangeek over an old 90s short-lived show called Max’s Adventures in Sunderland, which depicted an alternate fantasy world and the protagonist realizing his potential in it. Leopold, who sometimes prefers to go by Larry, is also, like Percy Jackson, starting to see strange figures in real life that no one else can see and disappear in a blink. Some people think he’s constantly on drugs, unable to focus on anything. Including his big, corporate-climbing dad, Richter Berry.
Well, what if this Sunderland, or Sunderworld, wasn’t just from a forgotten fictional show? And what if Leopold was able to go there? Would he figure out his true worth? Or just screw it up like everything else?
You know, I definitely understand the appeal of nostalgia. There are shows, movies and video games I loved as a kid that I still love as an adult. I also ask myself, If I just saw this now, would I still love it, without years of memories? The answer is, sometimes. And there are worlds out there in entertainment that I’ve always wanted to go to. And everyone at one point or another has felt like Leopold, shy and tremulous and feeling everyone knows the secret to achievement that you’ll never reach. Sadly, the book still didn’t translate very well for me.
The biggest problem I had was not really anything to do with the characters or storyline, but the very short chapters. I know, how dare I, right? What’s wrong with me? Well, let me explain. Maybe I’m in a reading slump or something, but the small chapters in this book were especially irritating, because they kept telling me, “Okay, that just happened. Wanna stop for now? Yes or no?” I would’ve gotten through this book much faster if it didn’t keep pausing to inadvertently ask me.
The funny thing is, Riggs’ previous and beloved Miss Peregrine series had notably long chapters, and I loved them. I was going to see the movie in the theatres, but I owned the book and hadn’t read it yet, so the afternoon before I was supposed to go, I picked it up to see how much I could get through it…and I couldn’t put it down. Granted, we decided to see something different, but the chapters and storyline flowed so much better. I was able to really appreciate the atmosphere and the children and the revolutions. Here, because of the bad chapter flow, not so much.
The second half of the book is better than the first half. The book starts out slow-paced, and Leopold’s constant screwups make it uncomfortably awkward. But then when the magic arrives and Leopold decides to step outside his comfort zone, it’s a little better. The book is best when there’s an action scene, like Leopold stealing his car back from a junkyard or trying to keep his head down on scavenger hunts where the authorities are after him.
Ultimately, The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry is not a terrible book, and it might be well-liked by those who enjoy short chapters and underdog-realizes-their-worth stories, but it pales in comparison to the first three (and four) books of his Miss Peregrine series.
My grade: 1 and a half stars out of 5
William J. McGinn 
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