Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Riggs, R. (2013). Miss peregrine's home for peculiar children. New York: Quirk Books.

In this intriguing novel about a group of children and their caretaker, Jacob Portman discovers a family secret that only he and his grandfather, Abe Portman, are privy to.  Jacob and his grandfather share a bond that until his grandfather’s death, Jacob was unaware of and that bond is that they are “peculiar”.  After Jacob finds his grandfather brutally murdered in the forest behind his house, he begins to question everything he’s always known.  When he convinces his father to take him on a trip to Wales as part of his therapy, Jacob finds himself thrown into a world he knows nothing about but that he is an integral part of.  As Jacob is embraced by the peculiars and their headmistress, Miss Peregrine, he is also inundated with knowledge of his grandfather’s abilities as a hollowgast hunter and begins to piece together the connection between Abe and Emma, a peculiar that he increasingly finds himself drawn to.  In addition to the fascinating storyline is an amazing collection and index of antique photographs that were the basis for many of the ideas in the novel .    Miss Peregrine’s is an excellent novel for both middle and high school readers because the depth of emotion and development covers a range of stages that lends itself to a wide audience.  The ability to think in the abstract is essential for the reader must suspend realistic thinking in order to enjoy the book.  A great follow-up is Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children.