Book Review
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Article by Ilana Taieb Hagerty
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is the debut novel by American author Ransom Riggs. The book tells the tale of a teenager who, following a horrific family tragedy, follows clues that take him to an abandoned orphanage on a Welsh island. The story is told through a combination of narrative and vintage photographs from the personal archives of many collectors.
The book has been a New York Times best seller. It reached the first place on the Children's Chapter Books list on 29 April 2012 after being on the list for 45 weeks.
So what is this book about?
After his grandfather's murder, apparently by a make-believe creature, 16-year-old Jacob Portman goes to Wales to learn the truth about his grandfather's past. He finds that his grandfather lived in a derelict orphanage for "peculiar children". That is where he meets Emma, a "strikingly pretty" girl who can control fire. She uses time travel to take him back to 1940 to meet Miss Peregrine, the orphanage director, who lives with the other children in a "time loop". Jacob enjoys spending time with the other peculiar children, such as Millard, who is invisible, Bronwyn, who has incredible strength, and Olive, a girl lighter than air. In the pub where Jacob is staying, he hears stories of mysterious deaths in the region, and he warns the peculiar children. They tell Jacob that the deaths were caused by the "hollows" or "hollowgasts", the same monsters that killed his grandfather. Jacob later learns that he too is a peculiar, and realizes only he can see the monsters and stop the killings.
As for the rest, you will need to read the book to find out!
I really enjoyed this book and the merge between narrative and images, even though it gave my mind less space to imagination. I highly recommend this book for the story is capturing and makes you wonder what comes next- and what a coincidence- a sequel has come out! The sequel is called Hollow City. Happy reading!