Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

This book is a mess.

The premise is great: young boy with a tense relationship with his parents has a grandfather who tells him sensational stories about an island, peculiar kids who have bees in their stomachs, or who can levitate, and a bird that smokes a pipe. But kids eventually stop believing in a grandparent's fantastical stories, and so Jacob stops believing in Abe. And then Abe is murdered by a monster with tentacles in his mouth, a monster only Jacob can see.

There's more lead-up, but eventually Jacob ends up on an island and finds Miss Peregrine, the "bird who smokes a pipe" and her house of about 10 peculiar children. Girls with super strength, girls with an extra mouth in the back of her head, girls who can levitate, boys who show more are invisible, boys who can bring dead things back to life, a very fashion-conscious young man who always wears a top hat and tails.

But I want to talk about Emma. Emma can produce and control fire. She also used to be in love with Jacob's grandfather Abe, who left the house for peculiar children to fight in WWII and to fight the monsters that hunt peculiar children. Emma meets Jacob, and... that's when things get Creepy with a capital C. I understand that Emma was extremely attached to Jacob's grandfather. But she transfers it onto Jacob, and it is problematic. Right off the bat she starts flirting with Jacob, and Jacob puts up a very feeble fight, pointing out that it's WEIRD for Emma to be so into him when it's his grandfather she really wants. But it really is a feeble fight, because, as Jacob says, she's a girl and she's hot, so next thing we know, they're making out inside a sunken WWII U-boat.

Did I mention that Emma is an adult in a child's body? You see, the children at Miss Peregrine's Home are in a time loop set to a particular day in 1940.... and they're not allowed to leave. They're not allowed to grow up. So these are, essentially, 75-80 year old men and women stuck in the bodies of young teenagers. They are kept in a perpetual purgatory of childhood for... their own safety, Miss Peregrine says. Which is the other reason this book is Creepy with a capital C.

The children at Miss Peregrine's home have lost all agency. They're emotionally stunted adults with no good outlet for their "peculiarness" - one boy puts mouse hearts into clay soldiers and then tears their legs off. Miss Peregrine is determined to keep them children with no knowledge of the outside world and the passage of time. Her intentions may be noble (and I have my doubts), but she purposely keeps these adults-as-children in captivity. When you learn the reason the monsters exist, you might just wonder if Miss Peregrine isn't just as bad.

The next book in this series is going to be a hard pass for me, simply because Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children makes me uncomfortable. While I get the sense that Miss Peregrine does care for her "wards," she also doesn't recognize that they are in fact adults and she's taken away all semblance of decision-making from them. The Home isn't a magical world like Hogwarts in Harry Potter or Camp Halfblood in Percy Jackson; it has charm and fun at first, but then you realize - these are people being held against their will. The relationship between Emma and Jacob isn't romantic, it isn't sweet, and it definitely isn't, dare I say it, "organic." Emma transfers all of her feelings for Jacob's grandfather onto Jacob, and Jacob seems to have the attitude of "this is really weird but IT'S A GIRL, I'M IN."

Well, I'm not in.

Not reading any more of this series, not recommended. show less

This was just the perfect start to my reading for R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VI, it is perfectly creepy and atmospheric, plus has that side order of whimsy and surrealness I think fits this challenge so well.

Jacob is a sixteen year old modern American teenager. Not quite the usual as his parents are ultra rich, so he doesn’t have to worry about some of the mundane aspects of life. But his normal life is about to change after his grandfather dies and he sets out to discover the real truth behind his grandfather’s crazy stories and photographs. And what wonderful photos. The levitating girl is on the cover, and inside we get many more examples of the peculiar children his grandfather talked of. There is the invisible boy, the show more incredibly strong girl, the boys with bees inside, and many many more.

So without giving too much away about this story I’ll just mention that as well as “peculiar children” this novel also has time-travel, monsters, and a trip to a Welsh island. What more could you look for?

It is wonderfully written. You’ll be totally engrossed in the story, and I have to say that right from the opening chapter a wonderful atmosphere is created. It isn’t always creepy and threatening, sometimes it is quite idyllic, but this is a book that is just evocative and enjoyable.

And the photographs are a great touch. All real, collected over the years by various people and now published here. Brilliant touch, and a great start to this year’s RIP. Let’s hope my next pick is as good :) show less

This is a magical little book, a tale of unusually talented children, time travel and monsters, illustrated with black and white photographs. Sixteen year old Jacob is devastated when his grandfather, Abe Portman, dies in his arms, killed by.. something. Everyone says it was dogs, but Jacob saw a humanoid being that even his friend standing right there didn’t see. Jacob comes to think that perhaps Abe’s wild stories of an orphanage on a tiny Welsh island filled with children who could levitate, or lift huge boulders, or create fire in their hands, and that he killed monsters, just might be true after all.

Circumstances make a trip to Wales possible-encouraged by Jacob’s therapist. Once Jacob arrives on the island his grandfather show more spent time on during WW II, things turn out to be even weirder –and more dangerous- than his grandfather described.

This is a lovely coming of age story as Jacob is forced to grow up abruptly. He’s faced with things that not only endanger friends but challenge his entire world view. This story has been compared to the X-Men’s school for mutants, but Miss Peregrine really doesn’t train the kids to use their talents to fight; she’s content to keep them alive and safe, isolated from the world. It’s got a touch of Shangri-La, and a bit of the feel of Gaiman, but it’s totally original. I hear there is a sequel in the works, which makes me very happy. show less

Very cleverly written story around vintage photographs. Reminiscent of A Wrinkle in Time meets the Goonies; time travel with kids outsmarting big, bad adults. The characters are very lively and creatively illustrated in weird, artistic photos. Each has their own "peculiar" ability, even Jacob, the narrator, who doesn't realize his own talent at first. The story line is intricate and fast-paced enough to keep a young (or old) reader interested. I found the idea of unique "peculiar" children hiding in time-loops from spectacularly deadly monsters a very refreshing fantasy, The mix of fantasy/horror/romance was a pure delight to read, suspenseful, hopeful, and horrific in turns, I found myself cheering for the children along the way.

Jacob's grandfather tells him stories. Fantastic stories, of children who can float, or are invisible, or have bees living inside of their bodies. Scary stories, of monsters who prey on those who are different. Stories of how at a very young age he ran from those monsters, coming to America to be safe.

When he was very young, Jacob believed. His grandfather had pictures of those magical children, after all, so why shouldn't he believe? When he was older, Jacob thought he'd discovered the real story. That his Jewish grandfather came to America to escape the Nazis. All those peculiar children, they were different, not with bees inside and super-strength, but with Judaism or other things his young mind doesn't know. And the monsters? Well, show more there's nothing more monstrous than what the Nazis did.

The thing is, all his grandfather's stories are true. There are monstrous men and monsters in this world, and there are people who are different and also children who are very peculiar indeed. show less

One of the greatest stories I’ve ever read — whether books aimed at children or adults.

Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham Portman, lived what seems to Jacob the exact opposite life to his own: Grandpa Abe was sent very young to an orphanage in Wales to escape the coming destruction of the Holocaust; all of Abe’s family perished at the Nazis’ hands. While there, Grandpa Abe had further adventures, and then went on to become a brave soldier, a distant father but a gifted ranconteur — especially when recounting the tales of the other children — the peculiar children — at the orphanage, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The stories — the unbelievable stories — are each accompanied by an equally riveting show more black-and-white antique photo.

In contrast, Jacob Portman now lives in a family that owns a chain of hundreds of drug stores. Jacob lives the life of the privileged 1 percent. No adventures for him. But the death of his grandfather launches a search for that long-ago orphanage and what became of those exceedingly peculiar children. And what was the danger that, after World War II, Abe Portman was still fleeing? In finding the truth of his grandfather’s life, Jacob comes to realize that grandfather and grandson have more in common than young Jacob ever knew.

Of course, the poignant photos and the tales that author Ransom Riggs crafted to accompany them constitute a good part of the appeal. However, even with the photos, I’d put this book against — forgive the blasphemy! — the Harry Potter series and the Chronicles of Narnia. The novel is filled with mystery, magic, suspense and even hope. You won’t soon forget Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I only wish I could give it six stars. show less

Flipping through the pages of this book reminds me of nightmares I haven't had yet.
These kids are really, really creepy.
Which is exactly the reason I had to read this book. I absolutely loved the idea of using these real photographs (some with a little extra editing) to complement a story about these extraordinary children living in a home on secluded island. Fueled by unbelievable tales told to him by his grandfather, Jacob is determined to find the truth behind the fate of these children. The house occupied by these children has been abandoned since World War II, so there's no way to speak with the former residents...right?
This book was extremely enjoyable, and an easy read. If I did have any suggestions, I would want these peculiar show more children to be even more peculiar. While reading I found that the pictures in the book were much darker than the actual characters. Instead of being mysterious and brooding, I found most of the characters to be disappointingly normal -- drastically contrasting their photographs. I am, however, extremely excited that this book is part of a series. By the last few pages I felt like we were just getting started. This concept has so much potential that I don't think was fully uncovered in the first book, and I'm looking forward to what the rest of this series has in store. show less