Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Title:  Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children 

Author:  Ransom Riggs

Genre:  Young Adult

Publisher:  Quirk Books

Format/Pages:  ARC—borrowed from friend/352 pages

Release Date:  Available Now

Jacob grew up hearing strange tales of his grandfather’s youth, accompanied by bizarre photos that Grandpa says are of real people. After a bizarre turn of events changes Jacob’s life forever, he travels to a remote, mysterious island across the ocean.  It is there that he discovers the ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, where Jacob’s grandfather spent time during his youth. Jacob soon realizes that his grandfather’s photos may have been of actual children, and that his tales might have been true. And those children may have been more than peculiar.  They may have been put on that island because they were a danger. As Jacob struggles to learn the truth, he encounters things he never imagined possible, even in Grandpa’s scariest tales.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a very interesting and original story. It is hard to describe without giving away too much. I was jotting down some notes, when it dawned on me that putting any of that information in my review would give away key plot points. So, I am only doing a quick summary because do not want to give anything away. The photos in the book are very creepy, and quite frankly, some of them could give you nightmares. I thought they were a fantastic addition to the book and again, very original. I know just about everyone has uncovered a dusty old photo and been curious about the people in it. Well, Riggs did a great job of giving these photos life and a history. That being said, I did have somewhat of a hard time getting into the book, despite the curiosity I had about the photos and Grandpa’s background. It finally started to pick up around page 140 and it really took off about page 228. The book was not very long, so there was a lot of information shoved into a short book, especially in the second half of the book. While the book looks really scary, it’s not. There are a few gross-out moments, but nothing too severe. Finally, Riggs left the story open for a sequel, but this is not one of those books that demands a sequel or leaves you with a lot of glaring questions.

Despite its slow start, I did enjoy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I always love an original story and this book definitely has that. I am hopeful that there might be a sequel, just because I want to know more about what happens in Jacob’s life. I do recommend this book, it is a good read.