'Miss Peregrine' author Ransom Riggs to launch new fantasy series, 'Sunderworld'

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NEW YORK (AP) — Ransom Riggs' first new series since the million-selling “Miss Peregrine" books will launch this summer.

“Sunderworld, Vol. 1 The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry” begins the adventures of a Los Angeles teen who, after his mother's death, has some surreal encounters in his everyday life. Dutton Books for Young Readers, a Penguin Random House imprint, will publish “Sunderworld” on Aug. 27.

“I’ve always been drawn to portal fantasies in fiction,” Riggs said in a statement Wednesday. “They feel like invitations to optimistic worlds where, ultimately, joy is possible, if only you can find the key. We’re living through some very heavy, very dark times — we have been for a while — and this story is meant to be an escape — and a respite from darkness.”

Riggs' “Miss Peregrine” novels have sold more than 10 million copies. The first book in the series, “Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children,” was adapted by Tim Burton into a 2016 film starring Eva Green.