Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

If you are looking for a book that you can read and your young adult will enjoy, try Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.  Talk about clever and creative. Author Ransom Riggs brings a whole new world to life, along with some very strange pictures. Sixteen year-old Jacob Portman, after the horrific death of his beloved grandfather, journeys to a remote island off Wales. He seeks answers to clues his grandfather left him and stories that didn’t make sense at the time, but now open doors for Jacob. As he stumbles through the abandoned ruins of an old orphanage and leaves discouraged, he enters into a new time loop. There he meets Miss Peregrine, the headmistress, along with the peculiar children he’s seen in his grandfather’s photo albums.  

There’s the invisible boy, the girl who defies gravity, Emma who can create fire in her hands, and Bronwyn the strong. Jacob seems normal, but he is the grandson of Abe Portman, much beloved by the children. Turns out Abe left the island to fight in WWII, and then chose to go to America, age appropriately, and live a “normal” life. However, there’s trouble brewing in the peculiar world. For Miss Peregrine and other headmasters, there are attacks and kidnappings. Some peculiars went rogue in a horrible experiment and are now seeking to destroy the “good peculiars”. Jacob finds he has skills to help his new found friends. But he must decide which world to join, and then what happens if the loop is altered? 

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a hoot. You will love the characters, enjoy the adventures, and then worry about their troubles. It’s a scary world, and you will turn the pages quickly as evil appears. You will root for the kids to use their peculiar talents and work together to overcome obstacles. This is an excellent book for you and your teen to read and discuss. Then you’ll fight over who gets to start the sequel first. Defy gravity, make yourself invisible, and be peculiar. It’s okay.