Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)

by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children", an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, 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 who once lived here - one of whom was his own grandfather - were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

• ISBN13: 9781594746062
• Publish Date: 1 May 2012 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Out of Print: 8 August 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Quirk Books
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[journalingirl]

Why I read it?:

Because I wanted to. Also because I’ve heard it’s really good, bought a copy almost a year ago, and never gotten around to reading it.

What I thought about it?:

It was a nice book and I loved the way Riggs uses found photographs to illustrate what he writes about (that’s very similar to something I want to do in my future books, but will mostly involve me taking my own pictures), but I have grown out of at least this YA novel. I mostly love this genre of writing, but it just felt a bit childish. I would have enjoyed it more a few years earlier. Still, I’ll read the sequel at some point, just so I know what everyone is talking about.

[nitzan_schwarz]

From the re-read I started in October 2016 (still haven't finishing it... lol) because back then there was no re-read feature:

October 22, 2016 – page 61
"I think the movie would have been more profound if, like the book, it focused on Jacob's "between" period more, instead of glossing over his depression and erasing the nightmares all together."

October 22, 2016 – page 33
"So, in the book Jacob's father had all his eyes as he died... not a sentence I thought I'd ever say, tbh"

October 22, 2016 – page 0
I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen"
Re-Reading this to purge that mess of a film from my mind.

[Stephanie]

I hate to say it, but I think the usage of the old photos hurt the book more than helped it.

[jnikkir]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

-----------------------------

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

If there's one thing I can say about Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, it's that saying anything about it is really hard to do, unless you want to give away major spoilers! I looked high and low trying to find a good synopsis/blurb to include with this review: ALL the Goodreads synopses, and B&N's webpage, Amazon.com, etc. While the blurb above is the best I found, it still doesn't do a great job of explaining what the book is actually about. I guess that's what happens when major plot points are also major spoilers - they have to be vague.

This is one reason why I never picked up Miss Peregrine until now. From all the blurbs I'd read, I was expecting a chilling horror story, with ghosts and creepy kids and terrifying paranormal stuff. I have to be in a very specific mood to pick up a book like that! But those expectations were so off the mark. If anything, this book reminds me of a mix of (call me crazy) The Darkest Minds, All Our Yesterdays, and some WWII historical fiction.

Though I have to be vague so I don't give anything away, the plot was a real page-turner for me. Jacob grew up listening to his grandfather's stories, which centered on the orphanage he grew up in, and these kids with crazy abilities. At first, Jacob loved believing in his grandfather's stories, but as Jacob gets older, he tries to dismiss them as fairy tales. But when his grandfather dies in a violent "accident", Jacob witnesses something he can't explain, and everyone thinks he's crazy. His psychiatrist thinks it's a good idea for him to go to the Welsh island where his grandfather's orphanage is located, to give Jacob a chance to see that it's all quite ordinary. But Jacob goes there hoping for more... And oh boy, does he find it.

There are kids with special powers, timey-wimey shenanigans, and mysterious goings-on around every corner. I actually read this book in one sitting -- which, even though it's fairly short, is saying something. I was never distracted or looking for something else to occupy my time, which happens to me even with really good books. Something about Miss Peregrine grabbed my attention and held on until the last page.

In addition to the plot, I also loved the main character. I found Jacob super easy to connect with, personally. For the most part, he's just an ordinary kid looking for answers about his grandfather, but he gets pulled into this crazy world and thrown into some pretty terrifying stuff. He struck me as brave, but not unrealistically so. He's often terrified, but his tie to his grandfather gives him strength; and Miss Peregrine's Home, and the children he meets there, give him something to fight for.

And speaking of the kids he meets there -- I adored all the kids at the orphanage. I was expecting to be terrified by them, because, I mean, that cover! It's creepy! Surely there must be creepy kids? But actually, the kids reminded me of the ones in The Darkest Minds: they have abilities that no one understands, so they're shunned by society and forced to keep to themselves. The inhabitants of Miss Peregrine's home grew up performing in circus acts, brushing off their abilities as "tricks". These characters may have been minor ones, but they all felt unique. I loved their distinct personalities, and their dialog and banter.

Finally, I can't not mention the photographs -- the use of found photography throughout Miss Peregrine's Home is so cool. It gives the book a very unique feel, different from anything else I've read -- even though it roots the story very firmly in the past, it provides a sense of realism and a sort of timelessness. Many of the photos are super creepy at first glance, but they're all given a history and background that make them come alive, and in most instances that background totally changed my view of the photo, like on the cover -- I've been creeped out by that cover ever since I first laid eyes on it, because creepy kids are just not my thing. But now, I kind of want to smile when I see it. :)


In conclusion...

I am both glad and annoyed that it took me so long to pick up this book. Glad, because the sequel comes out really soon, so there's no wait. :D Annoyed, because I was really unclear on what the book was actually about, and I feel like, if I'd known, I would've picked it up so much sooner! It's a really cool blend of paranormal and sci-fi, and the photographs add an element of realism that I loved. If you're like me and it's taken you too long to pick up this book, do it now!! Really, the timing couldn't be better, since the sequel, Hollow City, comes out soon!

--

There were books involved...

[thepunktheory]

When I bought the book it was because of the picture on the cover. This photo fascinated me. Much to my surprise more pictures like this one are scattered throughout the entire book. Next to the story itself the photos give a great impression and some of then actually are pretty creepy. It helps to underline the special images the author wants to communicate. What fascinates me most about the pictures is that the all are real. Ransom Riggs put a great effort in finding the perfect ones for his book.
Let me now come to the story itself. Ransom Riggs has a way of writing that makes images flash before you. He has an awesome writing style. His ideas for the story are unique and thrilling. Whenever you think you come to a point where only a cliché can come along he finds a way to make it something extraordinary. I could hardly put the book and read it almost in one go.
I can't wait for the seconds part that will come out in January 2014 as the "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" ends with a cliffhanger and I really want to know what happens next =)

Book vs. Movie:
As usual I'll start with my thoughts on the novel. There was some really special about the book. I even remember when I saw it at a book shop and instantly picked it up because of the cover. The novel actually features tons of old photos Ransom Riggs gathered at flea markets and therefore creates a unique atmosphere. Believe me, those authentic pictures are really intense, you just can't look away.
Moreover, Ransom Riggs created a story that is purely magical. The way he describes things will give you vibrant images!
What I appreciated most is that he's really good at avoiding clichés. Stories like this are usually bound to reach a point where you've just heard it before, where it's almost impossible to come up with something truly original. Riggs manages to write a fresh story that definitely differs from everything I read before!

So, let's get to the movie. As you can probably tell by now, I was super-stoked to find out not only a film will be made, but it will be directed by Tim Burton, one of my favourite directors. I believed him to be capable of perfectly bringing the somber atmosphere of the novel right to the screen. However, I'm not quite sure how I feel about the finished film.
First of all, some severe plot changes were made. I know that usually happens with adaptations but in this case I had the feeling the studio didn't believe in the film too much. The first novel ends with a cliffhanger. The movie actually has a sweet and sugar-coated ending. To me it gave off the impression that nobody even thought a second part possible so they rather made it one self-contained movie. Now that it turned out to be quite a box-office success there will of course be a sequel.
I'm not even sure all of the plot makes sense the way they put the story. I'll have to re-watch it and give some stuff a close second thought.
Another thing I'm not to sure about is the way the peculiar kids were depicted. I am aware that they are children, but in some aspects the movie made them feel far more childish than the book. I also wished they had stuck to the photos from novel a bit more. Some of them were actually featured in the film but in general the atmosphere just wasn't there.

I'm still not sure whether I like the movie or not. However, the novel is absolutely brilliant and certainly worth checking out!

[Chelsea]

This was quite the book! I’m pleasantly surprised! I didn’t think I was going to like this one, for reasons I don’t even remember because this one was actually a really good book. I came close to giving it a full 5 stars but held back at the last minute because I found I had a hard time getting into the book. It wasn’t a stay up late to finish kind of book and I need that for a full 5 star book. Usually I would consider this a young adult book, though it is anyways, since the main character is younger but the writing wasn’t young enough to fit the character. That’s really the only issue I had with this book. Other than that is was good but creepy, which is a nice chance from the cutsy romance books around.

[Mercy]

Tuve un flechazo con este libro y su portada prácticamente desde que vi en serio de que iba, recuerdo que escuche de él pero pase, luego un amigo lo adquirió y le puse atención de la buena, me enamoré de su edición, de las inquietantes y atrapadoras imágenes con las que el autor nos cuenta esta muy, muy peculiar historia.

Reseña:
Jacob es un chico de dieciséis años que ha tenido una relación muy cercana con su abuelo, este, desde niño le contaba a su nieto fantásticas historias de cuándo vivió en un orfanato, en una mágica isla dónde había niños con ciertas habilidades muy peculiares. También le contaba acerca de su lucha contra terribles monstruos, todo esto, acompañado de extrañas fotografías de época que, claro, hacían que Jacob creyese todo. Pero luego, creció y empezó a sospechar que su abuelo había inventado todas esas increíbles historias y que las fotografías, habían sido trucadas. Su abuelo acepta esto y no vuelve a hablar de monstruos ni de niños peculiares nunca más. Pero entonces, sucede algo inesperado, algo que marcará un Antes y un Después en a vida de Jacob, su vida da un giro total y conocerá la verdadera terrible historia de su abuelo, que de nuevo, ha empezado a decir que los monstruos llegan a por él, cosa que hará convencerlo que su abuelo ya no es el mismo y que como el resto de la familia piensa, está loco.
Luego de encontrar una misteriosa carta Jacob, emprende un viaje, hacia una pequeña isla de Gales, para averiguar qué de verídico tenía todas esas historias que escuchó de niño. Ahí, se encuentra con que su abuelo jamás le mintió y ese orfanato, esos niños, el pájaro que de ellos cuidaba y lo que es peor: los monstruos, ¡existen!
A partir de allí, nos adentramos en un mundo lleno de misterio, magia y viajes en el tiempo, algo que al principio, cuándo llegué a esa parte, me hizo decantarme por la historia pues me estaba pareciendo tan creíble y a partir de allí, ya no, pero los giros que da después hicieron que me olvidara de ello. También el hecho de que haya fotografías, hace que aunque la historia sea fantasiosa, las fotografías hacen que llegues a pensar que lo que lees en verdad puede ser. Hay algunas un tanto impactantes que, al leer la historia y ver la fotografía hasta se te pone la piel de gallina :s

Personajes:
Respecto a los personajes, la mayoría no se llegan a conocer a profundidad, puesto que son muchos y hay otras cosas que contar, pero me han gustado, especialmente Millard y Olive. Jacob, me pareció un chico normal, actúa como alguien de dieciséis, con miedos (demasiados quizá), sueños y lucha por lo que quiere, aunque de una manera un tanto extraña xD. Sus diálogos y la forma en que narra la historia hacen que sea fácil de leer y también le da un toque humorístico.
Algo que hay que destacar, es respecto a Abe, el abuelo de Jacob, él está presente en cierto modo, en toda la historia y eso, lo hace parte muy importante de ella.

Trama:
En los tiempos que corren es difícil encontrar un libro con una trama original y menos, que sea narrado por un chico. Eso le da puntos extras a este autor.
Al principio, es un tanto lento, no aburrido pero sientes que nunca vas a llegar al tema principal, pues es bastante introductorio, pero cuándo finalmente llegas te aseguro que es muy difícil separarte del libro, te atrapa, cada capítulo te deja con ganas de más y más... hasta que se termina el libro y te das cuenta que es un final demasiado abierto y la segunda parte sale hasta en 2014 :(
Hay que hablar también, de la preciosa edición, una sobrecubierta gris metalizado, con una inquietante fotografía en ella, que le da a simple vista un halo de misterio al libro, esto, cubriendo preciosas tapas rojas con diseños en dorado, con el nombre de Miss Perergrine en la portada, haciendo que parezca una especie de diario. Y por supuesto, las muchas fotografías que pueblan sus páginas.

Y claro, siempre hay alguna cosa mala que decir y en este lo que no me gusto la parte del romance, demasiado artificial, muy forzada, creo que estuvo de más. También pudo ser un libro auto-conclusivo, con un mejor ritmo y un par de páginas más, la historia estaría perfecta con un sólo tomo.
En fin, un libro mágico con una ambientación espectacular, una trama original, personajes que, si no los llegas a amar, son la mayoría muy interesantes, con todo y sus peculiaridades. Y que te sorprenderá más, sino sabes casi nada de lo que pasa. Por eso ya no cuento más xD.
Te gustará si amas la ficción, los lugares mágicos y las historias peculiares.

[nightingalereads]

2 1/2 stars. Meh.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Sixteen year old Jacob Portman goes to Wales on a search to find out the truth about his Grandfather’s past and unbelievable demise. There he meets Emma, a “strikingly pretty” girl who not only knows Jacob’s grandfather but can control fire. She takes Jacob to meet Miss Peregrine, who, accompanied by some very Peculiar Children, is stuck in a time loop set back in 1940, throwing Jacob into a mysterious situation full of strange killings and peculiarity.

What really stood out to me in this book was the real dark and almost gothic feel to the plot, this mixed with vintage photographs, setting and great characterisation makes for a refreshingly new style of YA novel. Ransom Riggs seems to take the paranormal YA novel to a whole new level, putting other writers to shame with his unique blend of paranormal and character development. It was just a wonderful eccentric read and the vintage photographs were a nice touch; you feel like you know these characters and then you can look at the photos of them.

I think this is a cliché but for a debut novel, Ransom Riggs has shown great skill and love for his craft, developing a beautiful and slightly weird world. Riggs has stated there will be a sequel and I, for one, am looking forward to returning to this world and seeing where Jacob’s adventures will take him. This book has that dark and gloomy feel about it, almost like a horror movie, but yet the story never feels like it will become too dark. To give you an idea of the type of novel this is, 20th Century Fox are planning to adapt it into a film and want Jane Goldman (Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) to write the screen play and have Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sweeney Todd) direct.

For people that like a little darkness in their YA novels this is a book you should check out. I’ve never been a fan of paranormal novels but this is just a perfect example of the genre being done well. The mystery, the characters, setting and plotting all come together to make this a great YA novel. I’m excited for the sequel and the film adaption.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/02/26/book-review-miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children/

[celinenyx]

I was drawn to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children because of it's intriguing cover art, and the fact that it contains dozens of similar pictures throughout the story. It's a very beautiful book, and I was curious to see how the story itself compared.

It starts off very mysterious; rich kid Jacob's grandpa, a WW2 veteran, gets killed by savage beasts. Grandpa Portman has always told fantastical stories about a children's home off the coast of Wales, where kids lived that could levitate, were invisible, and had other unnatural skills. When Jacob finds a letter from Miss Peregrine, the headmistress, he goes to Wales to find out the truth of his grandpa's life.

The first half of Miss Peregrine's is very atmospheric. It has this dark mood, with the pictures enhancing the weirdness of the book. Who are these children? Did they ever exist? Is Jacob slowly turning insane? I loved this part of the book. The slight hint of mental illness, the creepy pictures... It all was very disturbing, and very awesome.

But once Jacob actually gets on the island, the entire tone of the story changes. It goes from dark and creepy to kind of idyllic bitter-sweet. I will try to keep from spoiling the story to you, but I will say this: it turns into some weird Harry Potter-esque story. And I didn't see that one coming AT ALL. And to be honest I didn't think it fit that well. The second half of the book didn't make that much sense with most of the pictures. It was a completely different atmosphere, that almost felt like it belonged to some other book.

I had quite a few issues with the part that followed, one of which the ease of which the main character thinks of abandoning his parents to do his own thing. This is a fifteen year old. Yet he thinks nothing of leaving his home for an indefinite time. He mentions that he'll probably miss them, but that's it. No regret, no nothing. And the worst thing for me is that the writer tries to justify Jacob's feelings by making his parents not-so-great parents. His mom is very concerned with outward appearances and very much enjoys being rich, and his dad can't finish a project and is kind of like a grown-up teenager. To be honest, if that's the only thing that's wrong with your parents, you should consider yourself lucky. They genuinely love him. They want what's best for him. They didn't neglect him, beat him, abuse him, or were drunk all the time. Yet Jacob just shrugs, "Ungh, parents, whatever", and that's it. It bothers me because, what kind of example is this for teens growing up? That if you feel that your dad said something you didn't quite agree with, you can just walk away? That it's okay to abandon everything when you're just fifteen? I might see too much into this, but it bothers me a lot.

Overall, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a nice book. It's unique, just the right amount of dark, and an adventure to read. It just happened to rub me the wrong way.