Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Bibliographic Information: Riggs, R. (2011). Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children. Philadelphia: Quirk Books.

Plot Summary: Jacob Portman’s grandfather died just after having a weird conversation with him over the telephone. He seemed paranoid, like someone was coming after him, but Jacob brushed it off as a delusion.  When he went to check on him, he found his grandfather outside lying facedown on the forest floor in his backyard, his stomach gashed open, and quickly fading.  He gave a Jacob a set of directions for him to travel to the island where he grew up, and “find the bird.”  A bit confused, Jacob tries to comprehend the directions his grandfather gave him, and as he looks up he sees a horrific-looking creature whom he believes killed his grandfather.  His parents are concerned when Jacob tells them what he saw, and he begins a series of therapy sessions.  Lonely, frustrated, and desperate to follow his grandfather’s instructions, Jacob convinces his parents to let him go to the Welsh island on which his grandfather grew up.  While he was exploring the old house he believed to be the orphanage his grandfather lived in, he sees a girl he’s seen before- in his grandfather’s pictures from childhood.  Were his grandfather’s stories about floating, invisible, and abnormally strong children real?  Eventually Jacob learns the girl’s name: Emma, and she takes him through a time loop back to 1940, where he meets the other children his grandfather grew up with.  They call themselves Peculiars, because they all possess a special talent.  The peculiars are in danger, and Jacob is the only one who can help them.

Critical Evaluation:  Jacob Portman, the main character in the story, is desperate for someone to understand him.  After his grandfather’s death, and his witness of a strange creature moments later, Jacob finds himself abandoned by his only friend, and deemed crazy by his family.  When he was younger, Jacob’s grandfather would tell him fantastical stories about the children he grew up with in Miss Peregrine’s orphanage.  He wanted to believe his grandfather’s stories, but as he grew up he grew out of them.  What Jacob really wants is peace of mind, and so he convinces his father to travel with him to the small island off Wales where Miss Peregrine’s orphanage resides.  Jacob doesn’t tell his father that he is following clues his grandfather gave him through his dying breaths most likely because his father already thinks he’s crazy and he doesn’t want to make the situation worse.  Jacob hopes that by traveling to the island he will confirm or prove his grandfather’s false.  Ransom Riggs does a beautiful job telling Jacob’s story through words and vintage photographs.  They definitely make you wonder if a place like Miss Peregrine’s orphanage for peculiar children really existed.

Reader’s Annotation: Jacob heard the fantastical stories of the peculiar children when he was younger, but as he grew he found them hard to believe.  He won’t think they are so hard to believe when he comes face-to-face with the very same children his grandfather grew up with.   

Information about the author:  When Ransom Riggs was a young boy, he knew he wanted to write stories and make videos.  He attended Kenyon College where he studied English, then he went to the University of Southern California to study film-making.  Now that he is an adult, Riggs can proudly say that he writes and makes movies.  

    Riggs’ other works include The Sherlock Holmes Handbook, Talking Pictures, and a photo travel essays titled Strange Geographies.

Genre: Fantasy

Curriculum Ties: English (literature)

Booktalking ideas (one or two):

1. Show a PowerPoint with photos from the book.

2. Emma’s perspective.

Reading level/Interest age: 14+

Challenge Issues: The novel contains some paranormal activities and some mature language.

To defend challenged material I would:

1. Read/watch/listen to the material to become familiar with the content.

2. Familiarize myself with the Arizona Common Core curriculum standards http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/teacher/ to defend how the material can support the learning of these standards.

3. Refer to the Library Bill of Rights: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

4. Refer to the collection policy of my library.

5. Collect reviews from staff/students/patrons who have used the material

Why I included this book: I chose this book for my collection because it offers a thrilling story for paranormal junkies.  The book also contains many vintage photographs that add to the eerie nature of the book.  The book spent 63 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list (Wikipedia, 2013). 

References:

Rigg, R. (n.d.) About. Ransom Riggs. Retrieved 6 May 2013 from   
           http://www.ransomriggs.com/bio/
 Wikipedia. (2013, May 8). Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children. Retrieved from
           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Peregrine%27s_Home_for_Peculiar_Children