Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
By: Lizzie Rose
Has the format of a novel ever intrigued you more then the actual contents of the pages? That was the initial impression when I first discovered Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. A mysterious and magical work of fiction, seemingly aimed at teens and young readers, this novel is an attention grabber. These pages have not only vivd detail and interesting characters, but also has strange photos strategically placed within the pages.
This novel follows the adventures of young Jacob as he tries to uncover the shady past of his recently deceased grandfather. Jacob struggles against his family, who all felt his grandfather was crazy and never believed a word he said, along with struggling against the monsters of his grandfather’s past. Jacob is finally able to convince his parents that visiting the sight of his grandfather’s stories will be helpful to his recovery; Jacob begins to uncover the truth behind his grandfather’s strange photo’s. Step through the loop and learn the truth that now haunts Jacob, just as it haunted his grandfather.
The formerly mentioned photographs are intriguing, but that’s not the only thing that kept me reading for 348 pages. The pictures add to the plot and help to bring the characters to life. Although, the photos aren’t the best part of this piece of work. The details are what kept me reading, aside from a very interesting plot, of course. For example, “She was dressed head to toe in black, her hair pinned in a perfectly round knot atop her head, with lace gloves and a high-collared blouse fasten tightly at her throat - as fastidiously neat as the house itself.” (142). Riggs paints a fantastic description of what Miss Peregrine looks like; a description so well written that the accompanying picture really is not needed, but it does add a nice, journalistic touch.
On the notes of saying the details were a strong point, sometimes the plot seemed to get lost in the details and become slightly cloudy. There were times while reading when the anticipation was overwhelming and I just wanted to know if Miss Peregrine was real and what happened to the house. It’s a great mystery; but at times, a little too much mystery for one page.
Overall though, this books is excellent and I certainly recommend the read. If I had to put the novel on a scale of one to ten, I would have to say it needs an eight. I give it such a high rating because the book was nearly impossible to put down and I was sad to turn the last page. This book was written for younger readers, but yet in my mid-twenties, I was still excited and intrigued through the whole novel without feeling like it was too young for me. If you plan on reading and don’t want to be left hanging, have no worries, book two is out. Hollow City was released January 14, 2014 and is available in hardcover.
This novel follows the adventures of young Jacob as he tries to uncover the shady past of his recently deceased grandfather. Jacob struggles against his family, who all felt his grandfather was crazy and never believed a word he said, along with struggling against the monsters of his grandfather’s past. Jacob is finally able to convince his parents that visiting the sight of his grandfather’s stories will be helpful to his recovery; Jacob begins to uncover the truth behind his grandfather’s strange photo’s. Step through the loop and learn the truth that now haunts Jacob, just as it haunted his grandfather.
The formerly mentioned photographs are intriguing, but that’s not the only thing that kept me reading for 348 pages. The pictures add to the plot and help to bring the characters to life. Although, the photos aren’t the best part of this piece of work. The details are what kept me reading, aside from a very interesting plot, of course. For example, “She was dressed head to toe in black, her hair pinned in a perfectly round knot atop her head, with lace gloves and a high-collared blouse fasten tightly at her throat - as fastidiously neat as the house itself.” (142). Riggs paints a fantastic description of what Miss Peregrine looks like; a description so well written that the accompanying picture really is not needed, but it does add a nice, journalistic touch.
On the notes of saying the details were a strong point, sometimes the plot seemed to get lost in the details and become slightly cloudy. There were times while reading when the anticipation was overwhelming and I just wanted to know if Miss Peregrine was real and what happened to the house. It’s a great mystery; but at times, a little too much mystery for one page.
Overall though, this books is excellent and I certainly recommend the read. If I had to put the novel on a scale of one to ten, I would have to say it needs an eight. I give it such a high rating because the book was nearly impossible to put down and I was sad to turn the last page. This book was written for younger readers, but yet in my mid-twenties, I was still excited and intrigued through the whole novel without feeling like it was too young for me. If you plan on reading and don’t want to be left hanging, have no worries, book two is out. Hollow City was released January 14, 2014 and is available in hardcover.