Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Book Review

I just got done reading Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. Before I review it, i'd like to share the book trailer:

"A tense, moving, and wonderously strange first novel. The photographs and the text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story." John Green, author of The Fault In Our Stars



I've seen this book in the stores many times and thought "What an odd cover". I wasn't sure if I even wanted to read it, let alone if I would like it. I read the back cover several but still it didn't seem to really entice me into reading it.

Each time I browsed the book aisle (which was every time I went into a store), this little girl's face stuck out from all the rest. Still I wasn't sure. Every time I saw the book it was as if the little girl kept saying "read me". Metaphorically of course! Something about her and her oddness just drew me in until one day, after leaving the store, I kept thinking about her. I wanted to read her story. I wanted to know more about this strange little levitating girl on the cover. That was the hook, line and sinker.

I went back the very next day and picked up the book. I was at the tail end of Ascend by Amanda Hocking so this strange book, with its strange little girl had to sit there for two days, starring at me.

Finally I was able to sit there, book and hand and contemplate it. I've never put so much thought into reading a book before I had even read it.

First off you have a little girl wearing a crown, with a stern look on her face...levitating of all things. It struck me as "peculiar". She's a pretty little girl, with long curly hair and the more I looked at her, the  more she reminded me of someone I know (I won't be naming any names). I knew the book was full of vintage photographs that the author, Ransom Riggs, had worked into the story. I thought the similarities to this little levitating girl and the one that  I know could possibly be very distantly related since they bear so much resemblance. Really they could be twins only the little girl I know is much much younger. 

Then you have the book title. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. I wanted to know why the name Peregrine was chosen. The name Peregrine is an aristocratic name from England. It never made it to the US because it was viewed at eccentric. Peregrine is also a breed of falcon.

The peregrine falcon is also historically known as the duck hawk in North America and is a bird of prey.

These facts only peeked my curiosity as to who this Miss Peregrine might be and why her children were peculiar. So I cracked open the book and began to read.

Warning spoiler alert below:

The story is written from Jacob's point of view. Jacob is a 17 year old boy with a Jewish Grandfather, Abe who fought in World War 2 against the Nazi's. Jacob grew up hearing stories of his Grandfathers childhood. How his parents sent him to live on an island with kids like him to save him from the Nazi's. Jacob was told stories of a big fairy tale house, on an island where the sun always shone. Stories of kids who could do amazing things. 

A boy who was invisible.

A girl who held fire in her hands. 

Emma

A boy who could make anything come alive. 

A girl who could float in thin air. 

Olive

A girl who was so strong she could lift cars.

Bronwyn

A girl with a mouth on the back of her head through which she ate.

Claire

A wise Miss Peregrine, the bird, who took care of all these children and more. 

Alma Peregrine

Abe told Jacob about the monsters he fought to keep his people safe. Everyone had assumed he was referring to the Nazi's and would fabricate stories about them. He talked about a monster that looked like a man, only he had tentacles coming out of his mouth.

These monsters were called Hallowgast and they ate peculiar's. These were the things nightmares were made up. 

Jacob always loved his Grandfathers stories. As he got older he questioned the photographs and stories but still told his Grandfather that he believed. One day that all changed. He was bullied at school for believing in fairy's and pantsed. He came home and told his Grandfather that he no longer believed in his silly stories. That put an end to Grandfathers story telling days. 

One day Jacob gets a call from his frantic Grandfather who seems to be in a frenzy and "loosing his mind". Abe says that he needs his key to his weapons cabinet that the monsters are coming. Jacob goes to check on his Grandfather to find him dieing in the woods. His last words to Jacob were  "Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old mans grave. September 3rd, 1940. Emerson-the letter. Tell them what happened Yakob". This only confuses him more. Jacob sees the monster with the tentacles before it disappeared. He tells his parents. They put him into therapy fearing that the loss of his Grandfather has lead to a mental breakdown. 

Jacob's therapist felt that helping to clean out his Grandfathers house would help with dealing with loosing him. It would give him closure. It only lead to more questions. Jacobs father and Aunt didn't want him to keep anything. They felt everything needed to be trashed, sold or given away. For Jacobs 17th birthday his Aunt surprises him with a gift from his grandfather. It was a book, The Selected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, with Jacobs name written inside with his Grandfathers writing.

"To Jacob Magellan Portman and the worlds he has yet to discover"

 Inside Jacob finds a letter to Grandfather from Peregrine. Finding this letter only makes Jacob want to go to the island and find these people more. He's desperate to know how much of his Grandfathers stories are true.

Jacob therapist, Golan, works with Jacob to overcome the loss of his Grandfather. Golan gets Jacob to tell him about the stories his Grandfather told him about the peculiar children and the island he grew up on. Then he encourages Jacob to go to the island and visit the house so that Jacob can see for himself that his Grandfathers stories were just stories. Golan feels that subconsciously Jacob believes his Abe's stories to be true and that is causing anxiety and nightmares. 

After Golan signs off on a trip to the island, Jacob and his father Franklin head out for an adventure of a life time.

When they arrive at the island, Jacob is told that no one lives at the old house anymore but he refuses to give up searching. He has to see it for himself. No one on the island knows anything about Miss Peregrine or the children.

When Jacob discovers the house, he is disappointed to find that the house is deserted and that it's run down and half blown up from when the Nazi's bombed the island. After days of searching through the house, he finally finds proof that this was once Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children when he finds a trunk full of pictures just like the ones his Grandfather showed him.

During one afternoon, while in the basement sorting through pictures he hears footsteps. He's unsure of what to think. This suddenly he hears their voices, children calling out for his Grandfather. When the children discover that its not Abe they take off running. Jacob chases them until they split up and ends up following one girl. He follows her through the bogs and into a cain which the island is known for. But the girl gets away.

He comes out of the cain and heads back to town determined to tell his fathers that he's done and going home only he finds himself in another time. The cain turned about to be a portal to the loop September 3rd 1940. The girl, Emma, puts a knive to his throat and he encounters the invisible boy, Millard, for the first time. They take him back to Miss Peregrine because Emma doesn't believe his story that he is Abe's grandson. She thinks he is something called a wright. A wright turns about to be a Hallogast who ate enough peculiar flesh to pass as human again. They spend their time feeding the Hallogast and hunting peculiar's. Unlike the Hallogast, they can pass through into loops.

Miss Peregrine knows that Jacob is indeed Abe's grandson. Jacob breaks the horrible news of his Grandfathers passing and turns out that it was a Hallogast that killed him.

This is just the beginning of the journey Jacob and his newly found friends go through. There is a lot of mystery and suspense and I just can't bring myself to ruin it all for you.

I give this book a 5 out of 5. Once I picked it up, it was very hard to put down. The story draws you in and entices you, leaving you hungry to know more.

I love how the author took these old orphaned photographs and Incorporated them into his story, making the story flow and leaving you with the impression that this fictional story is possible. I am in love with this series and the masterpeice that is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

So what are peculiar's?
Peculiar's are those that aren't like "normal" humans. Some can float, or create fire. Some are invisible or super strong. There are many things that can make you a peculiar including Jacob and his Grandfathers ability to see the Hallogast. No one, human or peculiar can see them except for Abe and Jacob. That's their power.

Seriously if you love a good work of fiction, just love to read, then put this book on your to-read list. It's worth the read.

In other news, I found out that Tim Burton is making this book into a movie and I couldn't think of a better director to do so!