Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Read: 7/16-7/18/12

Snapshot (taken from the book cover): 

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Mandy Thinks:

I.Love.This.Book.

During the first couple chapters, I got the impression that this would be a standard book in the sense that something strange was said by a dying relative and you spend the time trying to figure out the hidden meaning in those last words. It turns out, the meaning is just something that makes you come to terms with who you are and doesn't turn out to be anything really out of the ordinary or that wasn't there in the first place. As the main character Jacob starts his journey to investigate why his grandfather said what he did on his death bed, the story unfolds in a completely unexpected and adventurous way.  

My favorite part of the book was the vintage photographs - yes, they are real! I love photography so this was close to my heart. When I got to the end, I saw the author's note on where he got the photographs. I couldn't believe they were from real collections.  They were strange and creepy - I would love to start a collection like this. Future hobby maybe? 

The book was highly entertaining. It reminded me of the Harry Potter series with the bits of fantasy and magic thrown in, but in a bit more believable and grown up way.  The main character is only 16, but it doesn't read like a teen series - its much more sophisticated. After Jacob's grandfather passes away and he's forced to sort through the grief and feelings on his own, he realizes his parents don't understand the close relationship they had.  How many of us felt that our parents didn't understand us while we were teenagers? When he goes to the mysterious island where his grandfather grew up to bring closure to the way his grandfather died, the story takes an exciting and action packed twist and you can't put the book down from that point on.  

The downside: the ending is a cliffhanger and opens up the story for a sequel. Unfortunately there isn't a second book out and probably won't be until 2013 according to the author's blog. How lame is that? I want to see what happens next! My advice: Read it and love it. 

Top 5 things I learned from this book: 

1. Vintage photographs with weird people doing weird things actually exist so don't be so quick to think they're fakes!
2. Your grandparents may have had a really cool past and it's always a good idea to spend time with them to learn about what it was like when they grew up. Maybe they had a really cool secret past you didn't know about! Ha:)
3. Be very suspicious of people that never take off their sunglasses - especially at night. They can't be trusted.
4. Be open to the fact that you and your grandfather or mother can have the same taste in girls or boys. Yeah that's weird.
5. The grass is never greener on the other side. It may seem that way but it's probably just a different type of grass that has it's own problems. Like ants or stickers that you can't see. I hate ants.