Genre: Fantasy, horror, young adult
Key Stage: Key Stage 3+
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (2012)
Plot: This book follows Jacob Portman, a 16-year-old boy with a dying grandfather, Abraham. When he visits Abraham, he witnesses a strange and terrifying creature that no one else, but him and perhaps his grandfather can see. Jacob begins to recollect the stories, Abraham told him when he was young about his grandfather’s life in a “special” orphanage with other unusual children. Jacob decides to explore and find this orphanage even though nobody believes him.
Positives: I couldn’t put this book down since, at the start, it was so full of mystery and unanswered questions that I desperately wanted to uncover. The journey we took with Jacob was a long, but intriguing process and ended with very satisfying results however I also loved that it was a whole new beginning to many more adventures. I enjoyed meeting all these peculiar children as well as their friendships and was fascinated by the orphanage run by Ms Peregrine and its history. In addition, I found the photographs that Riggs included added to the creepy atmosphere since it makes it seem more real, almost as if this book was a story from our past. I would love to continue reading this series and watch the movie.
Negatives: I can’t think of anything I really disliked in this novel, apart from the fact that when I was rereading it, I was surprised by how lengthy the start was, as I mainly remembered the orphanage, not the path Jacob took to get there however, as a first time read, it was amazing.
Reviewer: Rose, Year 9