Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1) (Paperback)
Summer 2011 Kids' Next List
“The search for his grandfather's past leads Jake to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where a home for orphaned and 'peculiar' children once stood. Jake's grandfather's stories -- about invisible children, children who can command fire, children with enormous strength, and the monsters who hunt them -- can't possibly be true, but Jake's search of the island proves otherwise. This well-wrought story has just the right amount of suspense, scare-your-pants-off detail, and smart, compassionate children searching for a path forward in a twisted, topsy-turvy world.”
— Connie Brooks, Battenkill Books, Cambridge, NY
Staff Reviews
PECULIAR....VERY peculiar. This is an terrific way to describe Ransom Riggs' debut novel. Written for young adults, it has become a New York Times Bestseller and actively appeals to all ages. Basically, Riggs found several vintage black-and-white photos and linked them together to create a truly original story. The protagonist, sixteen year-old Jacob, witnesses the death of his grandfather, a strange man who told queer stories and seemed slightly off his rocker. Many thought his grandfather to just be alien and odd, but now Jacob must deal with the consequences of the fantastical way in which he died. In an effort to find out more about his own psychosis and his grandfather, he travels to Wales and discovers Miss Peregrine, her unusual home, and the PECULIAR children she attends to. Ultimately he finds himself in a dangerous situation in which he cannot escape. Riggs did write with a younger audience in mind, but I feel readers of any age will find his unique creativity to be inspiring. If you are looking for something fun, easy, and truly original, pick it up!
— David C.
Grandpa's stories have always been interesting, but none of them could be true.Right?Tell that to the monsters in the night.Teenager Jacob gets the chance to do just that as his life is irrevocably split into what he calls Before and After. Before the stories became true and there were monsters in the forest and it was normal to have lunch with children in their eighties.This is Ransom Riggs's first novel, and I hope not the last. Engaging characters and terrifying monsters make for an enjoyable and share-able read!
— Jonesey
Hogwarts meets Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Children in this moody fantasy series. Jacob grew up hearing his Grandfather's fantastical stories. About a secret home, peculiar children and man-eating monsters. He always took it with a grain of salt. Until he saw his grandpa murdered by a monster. In his attempt to find out what happened he stumbles upon the peculiar children of his grandfather's stories. The monsters find them too. We follow this close knit group of special kids as they learn to work together and harness their powers to save themselves and possibly the world. And what a journey it is!
— From About JK RowlingIncludes an excerpt from Hollow City and an interview with author Ransom Riggs
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. 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 were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted 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.
“A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story.”—John Green, New York Times best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars
“With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it’s no wonder Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+”—Entertainment Weekly
“‘Peculiar’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Riggs’ chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies.”—People
“You’ll love it if you want a good thriller for the summer. It’s a mystery, and you’ll race to solve it before Jacob figures it out for himself.”—Seventeen
“Readers searching for the next Harry Potter may want to visit Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”—CNN
“Riggs deftly moves between fantasy and reality, prose and photography to create an enchanting and at times positively terrifying story.”—Associated Press
“I read all of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children books and I loved them.”—Florence of Florence + The Machine
“[A] thrilling, Tim Burton-esque tale with haunting photographs.”—USA Today Pop Candy
“With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it’s no wonder Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+”—Entertainment Weekly
“Peculiar’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Riggs’ chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies.”—People
“You'll love it if you want a good thriller for the summer. It's a mystery, and you'll race to solve it before Jacob figures it out for himself.”—Seventeen
“Delightfully weird.”—Good Housekeeping
“One of the coolest, creepiest YA books.”—PopSugar