A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.
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.
Young adult and fantasy books are not ones I normally read – especially combined – but I’d heard such good things about Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children when it came out I had to pick it up when I saw it in the library. The cover alone is enough to catch the eye and then the description just sounds interesting, which it was.
It has many of the characteristics of other young adult books I’ve read – a disengaged teen (this time portrayed by 16 year old Jacob) discovers they are special (or in this case peculiar) which gives them inner strength to fight their demons (figuratively and literally) and change their lives (for the better) – but it didn’t feel stale or boring or standard. A difference for me was it wasn’t set in a dystopian future but rather the present and the past, which was a nice change.
The story was well constructed and well written, with strong characters in Jacob and Emma, one of the children – with all of them becoming more real thanks to the photos used throughout the book, reinforcing their descriptions. I really liked the photos and they added to my enjoyment of the book. And I did enjoy it – a lot – more than I expected. I found myself turning pages and couldn’t wait to pick it up when I had to put it down, all good signs and meaning this is a recommended read.
Emma
Source: Library
Publisher: Quirk
Publication Date: 7th June, 2011
Format: paperback
Pages: 352
Genre: young adult, fantasy
Find on: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads
One Readers Thoughts 
I really didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did either. I had kind of picked it up on a whim because my daughter had gotten it from the library but then left it downstairs. My favorite part was the photographs and how they were kind of woven in. I’m looking forward to reading The Hollow.
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The photos were a complete surprise. I can’t wait for the next book either. So nice when this happens.
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[…] […]
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[…] […]
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[…] I have a fear of books turning into movies and rarely watch them. This year, there was only one and rather than love it, I hated it. The only thing I could say is it was beautiful to look at – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. […]
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Definitely a book I enjoyed reading, so much so that I read Hollow City too, but I still haven’t had the chance to read Library of Souls, despite having the book for months. I need to get on it!
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I loved it…read all three in quick succession. Wish I hadn’t seen the movie though 😕
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