Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Bibliographic Information: Riggs, R. (2011). Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children. Philadelphia: Quirk Books.

Plot Summary: Jacob grows up hearing fantastical tales from his eccentric grandfather Abraham Portman that both intrigue and frighten him. Abe speaks of monsters, exploration, and an orphanage he once lived in that protects “peculiar” children. When Jacob shows a bit of interest in the topic, Abe pulls put a cigar box full of bizarre photographs: an invisible man, levitating girl, a boy with insurmountable strength, and a man with two mouths. But as Jacob grows older and matures, he finds it more and more difficult to believe his grandfather’s extraordinary tales, and gets called a fairy at school for believing in fairytales. Just when he’s sure that the tales were products of Abe’s increasing senility, he witnesses a horrific event that shakes him to his core, causing him to seek psychiatric treatment. His doctor recommends he go explore a clue in order to help him come back to terms with reality—a mysterious letter from a Miss Peregrine. With a little bit f research, Jacob is able to trace the letter to a small island in Wales, and with the lure of bird watching for his bird-crazy father, the two set off on an adventure.

            They come to find a foggy and eerie island that seems to exist outside the normal realms of time and space. They stay in the only rentable room available, a rickety old barn of a place with lights out at 10pm every night. The residents are peculiar and help lead Jacob to the house he seeks. But when he explores it on his own, he finds nothing but a rotting dump with no Miss Peregrine, and no peculiar children. Eventually, Jacob discovers a portal that transfers him back in time, and there he finds the orphans and Miss Peregrine, trapped in an endless loop of the same day. Jacob realizes that these children were not only particular, but also perhaps dangerous and quarantined in a time-loop on a remote island for a reason. But a monster has followed Jacob here, and he finds himself fighting to save the residents of this fantastical place, while simultaneously solving the mystery behind his grandfather.

Critical Evaluation: Part of the appeal of this novel is the author’s ability to combine realism, horror, suspense, fantasy, time travel, and history into a thought-provoking and compelling coming-of-age story. Jacob’s adolescent voice is genuine and not full of the over-the-top slang that you find in many male YA protagonists. Vintage photographs and hand-written letters are dispersed throughout the narrative, adding a tangibility to the peculiar children, and letting the spookiness seep from the pages right into the room. The prevailing theme is that of opening doors to the unknown. Constantly, Jacob is faced with passing through thresholds that will lead him to who-knows-where, but his determination to find the truth keeps him going. This theme highlights the transition from adolescence into adulthood—one of the biggest doorways of all.

Reader’s Annotation: Jacob has heard about the peculiar children with supernatural abilities from his grandfather for years, but only when a monster attacks his grandfather does he start to believe in them.

Author Information: Wikipedia states, “Ransom Riggs is an American writer and filmmaker best known for the book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Riggs was born in Maryland on a 200 year old farm, and grew up in Florida where he attended the Pine View School for the Gifted. He studied English literature at Kenyon College, and studied film at the University of Southern California. His work on short films for the Internet and blogging for Mental Floss got him a job writing The Sherlock Holmes Handbook which was released as a tie-in to the 2009 Sherlock Holmes film.

Riggs had collected curious vernacular photographs and approached his publisher, Quirk Books, about using some of them in a picture book. On the suggestion of an editor, Riggs used the photographs as a guide from which to put together a narrative. The resulting book was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which made the The New York Times Best Seller list.

Another book inspired by old photographs, Talking Pictures was published by Harper Collins in October 2012. Riggs is working on his second Miss Peregrine book for release in 2013.”

Genre: Speculative, Horror

Subjects: monsters, family, supernatural, paranormal, World War II, time travel

Curriculum Ties: The Holocaust

Booktalking Ideas: Provide teens with a box of old photographs, and have them make up stories about the people in them. How could the character’s paths cross?

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to depictions of monsters and supernatural beings, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: I wanted to include a best-seller that was also on the creepy side.