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Reader rating: 4.13 out of 5 (8 reviews)
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| Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children [pbk.] |
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7 out of 8 readers would recommend this to a friend.
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| Review for similar item: Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children [pbk.] |
| A Creepy Read for Fall | September 22, 2011 |
| By: jedikermit | Salt Lake County, Utah (US) | |
This book can be judged by its disturbing cover--a black and white photograph of a girl in Victorian dress, hovering several inches above a forest path.
The 2011 book is set in modern day, with the main character a 16 year old named Jacob. He's a high school student who happens to be heir to a family fortune, but he doesn't care about the money, the family business, or much of anything. Like many teenagers. Jacob has a good relationship with his grandfather, a World War II veteran who's starting to lose his grip on reality. He raves about monsters and childhood friends, and becomes more and more paranoid. This concerns Jacob and his parents, but they don't do anything about it until a family tragedy forces them to.
Jacob and his father go on a journey to an island off the coast of Wales, where he finds the ruins of the orphanage that his grandfather grew up in. He and many other children were saved from the Nazi onslaught and were protected by a "Miss Peregrine." Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is abandoned, but Jacob hopes to find clues to his grandfather's madness. In the course of visiting the strange island, Jacob finds more than he bargained for, and uncovers a greater evil than he ever imagined.
Riggs built this story around a collection of odd vintage photographs: the girl hovering on the cover, a face painted on the back of a bald head, an invisible man wearing a suit of clothing, a girl holding a ball of light. The photographs are intriguing and a little disturbing, and are mostly of children doing unusual or impossible things. They become an indispensible part of Jacob's story, and I loved how Riggs incorporated them all into this bizarre little book.
Over the course of the book, Jacob becomes more comfortable with his family, comes to understand his grandfather better, and makes new friends. Despite the fantastic elements in the book, Jacob remains grounded, and is a great protagonist to build a story like this around. I think most teenagers reading this book, and in fact most adults, will relate to Jacob and his choices.
This book is intended as a Young Adult novel, and I'll be recommending it to my students to read this fall. There are a few swear words, some fantasy-based violence, but on the whole it's a good, suspenseful read. I read it in one sitting, simply because I couldn't put it down. If you're looking for something new, fun, and a little bit odd, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is an excellent read.
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 24
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| A Marvelous Read | May 02, 2012 |
| By: Lohoya | Tacoma, Washington (US) | |
This book was outstanding. Great imagery, quick paced, and stupendous! Every page is meaningful and pulls the reader in. I absolutely loved this book. The only thing is the creepy pictures, but who doesn't love unique photography? Recommended.
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0
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| Opened Perspectives Pt. 2 | April 03, 2012 |
| By: CMoscarillo | Hudson, Ohio (US) | |
"I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary" (347). This novel puts your life and choices into perspective. It opens your eyes to the happiness every kid should have with the life they life, no matter how "peculiar" they are, they are humans.
"I did love her, of course, but mostly just because loving your mom is mandatory, not because she was someone I think I'd like very much if I met her walking down the street." This book goes beyond just the unnatural, but connects to home life too. Every kid has felt this towards a parents once or twice. His relationship to his parents are a reflection of lack of care in the household.
"I'm having a psychotic episode, I thought. Right now. This is what a psychotic episode feels like. Only it didn't feel like anything. I wasn't seeing lightning bolts or having palms sweat.s It was more like the world going crazy, not me" (124). This quote stuck out to me because I found the authors way of sharing his thoughts are very well stated.
Overall, I gave this book a 4/5 for its interesting plot and unique idea. It wasn't my favorite book but definitely up there.
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-1
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| Opened Perspectives | April 03, 2012 |
| By: CMoscarillo | Hudson, Ohio (US) | |
Miss Peregrine's would be in the top 5 books of the year for me. The novel was mysterious, intense, and descriptive- using pictures to help illustrate the story. The unique plot has a science fiction edge to it, considering time and the opportunity some may have to truly have a "second chance."
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1
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| Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar | March 16, 2012 |
| By: sgolphin | Hudson, Ohio (US) | |
This book started with a bang. It was very creepy, exciting and really intriguing, but it all went downhill from there. Once the mystery around the house was explained which was fairly early it became a very boring and almost childish story, which I didn't expect at all. One thing I can say I enjoyed was the photographs they're scattered throughout the book, all black and white. They add a nice eery touch to the story and gives it a really unique flair. The plot is what I didn't like. After its strong beginning, it fizzles into this bland and predictably dull tale. Don't get me wrong. It's very unique and unconventional so I can see it's appeal. It's also well written and does stem from great creativity, but I found it lacked too much detail and sophistication. The characters, too, fell flat and as a few things went unexplained we were left with scattered holes in the plot.This book is marketed for young adults but definitely feels more juvenile, like a child's fairy tale, which is not what I expected hence leaving me feeling a bit underwhelmed.
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2
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| hdkjsahd | December 09, 2011 |
| By: jb1539 | Miami, Florida (US) | |
I think the book waz amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved it so much!!!!!!!!!!!
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| Peculiar Indeed! | September 12, 2011 |
| By: smbodi | Wheeling, Illinois (US) | |
A peculiar book indeed…. And eerie and intriguing and unusual – unlike any book I’VE ever read. “A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of haunting photographs.”
This book is part history, part family drama, part sci-fi (time travel and shapeshifting), and a lot of mystery. All this interspersed with the fascinating photographs that gave the author the need to tell the story. I definitely recommend it!
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5
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| peculiar book | July 29, 2011 |
| By: wooshey | Provo, Utah (US) | |
Jacob's life seems fairly normal, despite the tales his grandfather Abe tells him about the monsters Abe used to fight and the children he lived with at Miss Peregrine's school. Then his grandfather is killed, and Jacob ends up on an unusual quest to find some of those people and learn about his grandfather. Things get strange from there, very strange. Without giving things away, the book is unusual but interesting. It's obviously the beginning of a series because the end is quite open. I did like it, but I wanted a little more direction on where the book was going. I also don't recommend the e-book version on small devices because the pictures, which would add a lot, are impossible to see.
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18
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