Publisher: Quirk Publishing
Publication Date: June 7, 2011
Source: Won from giveaway at Stiletto Storytime
The Summary
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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.
(Goodreads)
My Opinion
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One of my picks for my Spooktacular Books Challenge, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is one of my favorite books of this year! When I first saw the cover and some of the pictures inside, I was like "Heck no! This is going to be too scary!" (I am a big weenie when it comes to scary stuff). But then I did some more research and found out Ransom Riggs wrote the book. I love his videos on Youtube so much, and figured it was worth reading if he wrote it.
I'm glad I decided to because it was so good. The story was engrossing, and I loved all the peculiar children. While it wasn't out and out terrifying, it did get scary in some parts, but just enough for even this weenie to enjoy! Ransom Riggs has created such an interesting world, that I didn't want the story to end.
The book starts off in such a mundane, normal way. Jacob works at a job he hates, and he's not good at it. But then, as soon as you get use to the "normal" BAM! something very abnormal happens, and we get sucked into Jacob's journey to make sense of everything. He wants to believe his grandfather, but everyone else is telling him he's crazy. This is the aspect of Jacob's character I like the most. Ransom wrote Jacob very true to life. His thought process is logical and realistic. The interactions he has with both his family and then the peculiars also follows a realistic path. I think if Jacob just jumped into believing all the things his grandfather had told him, I would doubt his reliability as a character.
The other aspect of the book that I loved was the atmosphere built up. The descriptions of the island and the house are perfect. I can imagine it all in my mind like a movie. That gift of atmosphere extends to the characters. Each character adds so much to the world, and the story line; even the characters we only meet shortly are intriguing. The Bird herself was the perfect headmistress figure. If there weren't these elements the book would be so much less.
But the element that makes the book are the photographs. These were each handpicked and cannot be replaced. The book has so many layers added with these pictures. the mood, the characters, the story are elevated with this touch of the real. All the photographs are from real collections, and there is a inventory of where they all came from in the back of the book, which, at least for me, added another layer of intrigue outside of the story itself.(You can learn more about Ransom's own photograph collection here and here).
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is one of my top picks of 2011. I can't wait for the next book in the series. Once you read about the journey of Jacob and the peculiars you'll be sucked right in. I can't recommend this book enough! Go out and grab a copy at your local bookstore or, if you're on the fence, borrow it from the library; whatever you do, don't miss it!
I'm glad I decided to because it was so good. The story was engrossing, and I loved all the peculiar children. While it wasn't out and out terrifying, it did get scary in some parts, but just enough for even this weenie to enjoy! Ransom Riggs has created such an interesting world, that I didn't want the story to end.
The book starts off in such a mundane, normal way. Jacob works at a job he hates, and he's not good at it. But then, as soon as you get use to the "normal" BAM! something very abnormal happens, and we get sucked into Jacob's journey to make sense of everything. He wants to believe his grandfather, but everyone else is telling him he's crazy. This is the aspect of Jacob's character I like the most. Ransom wrote Jacob very true to life. His thought process is logical and realistic. The interactions he has with both his family and then the peculiars also follows a realistic path. I think if Jacob just jumped into believing all the things his grandfather had told him, I would doubt his reliability as a character.
The other aspect of the book that I loved was the atmosphere built up. The descriptions of the island and the house are perfect. I can imagine it all in my mind like a movie. That gift of atmosphere extends to the characters. Each character adds so much to the world, and the story line; even the characters we only meet shortly are intriguing. The Bird herself was the perfect headmistress figure. If there weren't these elements the book would be so much less.
But the element that makes the book are the photographs. These were each handpicked and cannot be replaced. The book has so many layers added with these pictures. the mood, the characters, the story are elevated with this touch of the real. All the photographs are from real collections, and there is a inventory of where they all came from in the back of the book, which, at least for me, added another layer of intrigue outside of the story itself.(You can learn more about Ransom's own photograph collection here and here).
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is one of my top picks of 2011. I can't wait for the next book in the series. Once you read about the journey of Jacob and the peculiars you'll be sucked right in. I can't recommend this book enough! Go out and grab a copy at your local bookstore or, if you're on the fence, borrow it from the library; whatever you do, don't miss it!
Extras
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Book Trailer for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children:
Author Ransom Riggs searches for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Final Rating
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Book Cover: 5/5
Book Title: 4/5
Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Overall: 48/50: A+
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