Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

     

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Bibliography: 

Riggs, R. (2016). Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Quirk Books. 

Plot Summary: 

Sixteen-year-old Jacob, having traveled to a remote island after a family tragedy, discovers an abandoned orphanage, and, after some investigating, he learns the children who lived there may have been dangerous and quarantined and may also still be alive.

Critical Analysis:

This was a very fun and peculiar read. The beginning was very interesting, with Jacob finding his way to the orphanage and exploring it. I found it very gripping and the atmosphere was exactly what I was hoping for. Creepy!

The photos were a wonderful addition to the book, vintage looking and creepy. I have always loved looking through old photo albums, discovering the stories behind each picture. So, I had a lot of fun with these pictures. I couldn’t wait to discover a new one, examining them closely and looking for hidden clues. 

The story did remind me of X-Men, but that didn’t really bother me. After all, most stories borrow ideas from other ones. But the story felt a little disjointed, sometimes slow and repetitive, with Jacob going from one place to another and sometimes I found the story that gripping I couldn’t stop reading.

The plot was rather predictable and nothing special. Once again the children do what they are not supposed to! Yeah, I saw that coming from miles away. I liked the children, but I wish there had been more character development. Jacob started as a slightly annoying character but I grew fond of him as his character developed. His character growth was quite nice.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I was expecting something really scary and creepy and less than half of the book lived up to my expectations. So, don’t start this book expecting a horror story, this is a fantasy! A fun and peculiar fantasy.

Review Excerpt: 

Associated Press

Riggs deftly moves between fantasy and reality, prose and photography to create an enchanting and at times positively terrifying story.

USA Today

[A] thrilling, Tim Burton-esque tale with haunting photographs.

Connections:

Author Interview: https://www.npr.org/2016/09/01/492203095/literary-it-couple-taherer-mafi-and-ransom-riggs-have-new-books-coming-out

Supernatural/Fantasy Unit

Books set in Europe - Books around the World Unit