M iss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a fascinating and thrilling novel by Ransom Riggs that's sure to captivate readers of all ages.

The story follows sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman, who discovers a mysterious island where his grandfather lived during World War II. As he explores the island and learns about his grandfather's past, Jacob discovers that the children who lived on the island were not ordinary at all – they had special abilities and were in danger from dangerous creatures known as Hollowgasts.

What makes this book truly unique is the inclusion of vintage photographs throughout the story, which really brings the characters to life and adds an eerie and mysterious atmosphere to the narrative.

Riggs has crafted a mesmerizing world full of compelling characters that readers will find themselves invested in from start to finish. The pacing is excellent and the story is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Overall, I would highly recommend Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children to anyone who loves a good adventure and a touch of the supernatural. It's a beautifully written and wonderfully imaginative novel that readers of all ages are sure to enjoy!

Well, this may be weird to say, but I felt like the only thing holding this book back from 5 stars was its gimmick, which I suppose is the reason everyone else has been giving it so much acclaim. The story was so good, and written so well, that it really could have and should have been written on its own without the pretense of the pictures. I guess the pictures were a "cool" and "spooky" idea, but this book didn't need a gimmick. It felt at too many times Mr. Riggs was fitting his writing to the pictures, when he should have been instead fitting the pictures to the writing.
Don't get me wrong... I understand the meaning behind the gimmick, "I've collected all these cool vintage pictures and wrote a book intertwined with them." But I said it before and I'll say it again, the book didn't need the gimmick.
His writing grabs you behind the eye sockets and won't let you look away, you have to keep reading, needing to find out what happens next. But then there it is, plain as day, his style falls away and he changes his style to fit in a description of the picture that comes next, and bam, there's the picture. It didn't add anything to my reading experience, and knocked what would have been a sure 5 star book down to a 4 star.
Now, with all that said, and the book completed, cliff hanger ending and all, what was the first thing I did? Jumped online to make sure there was going to be a sequel, and felt very relieved to find out that there would be. And what will I do as soon as the sequel comes out? That's right, buy it! I guess the gimmick didn't really ruin it that badly for me after all... Sorry for the rant. ( )

It started off great, but it lost my attention shortly after. Maybe I should keep going, but I am halfway through and haven't been interested since page 50. It's due back at the library tonight, so I'll give up. Oh well. ( )

This is a spoiler free review. I admit that i chose the book on only 2 merits: the title and the cover. It is a somewhat medium-slow pace book. Somewhat the descriptive nature of the author seems to be getting a bit out of hand , but then you might like descriptive books. Me, not so much. The storyline is quite different and interesting. About 1/3 through the book, the storyline picks up pace a little bit. The author has put a lot of thought in the way to book was constructed. A nice touch were the photographs in the book, especially since they are not just pictures but do directly correspond with the story. The book ends abruptly. You turn the next page and the book is done. By now, you know that the author is writing a sequel.....
For a debut novel the book is not bad.When reading the book you can tell that the author has a history in screen adaptions and movies. This book would make a great movies. Rumor on the internet is, that the movie rights were sold and Tim Burton was named. ( )

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very peculiar photographs. An unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. A horrific family tragedy sets 16-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. -- from the book jacket

Jacob is very close to his Grandfather and is the only one who can get through to him during his episodes. His Grandfather is haunted by visions in the past that everyone things relates to his experience in the military -- but it really stems from his childhood, his stay at Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and his battle with the monsters that only he can see. As Jacob follows the clues given to him with his Grandfather's last breath, he discovers a hidden world suspended in time that proves that his Grandfather was not crazy but cautious with whom to share his secret.

I'm still trying to decide if I liked this book. It was unusual (which I did like). A little long-winded (which I didn't like). The best part of the book is the pictures which are actual pictures used from special collections. The author introduces a wide-range of unusual characters and instead of describing them in detail -- gives the reader a brief description and a picture to study -- a brilliant way to write about the peculiar children.

NOTE: I enjoyed the movie based on this book and have watched it on several occasions. ( )