Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Summary:
After his grandfather's murder, Jacob Portman follows clues that his grandfather left behind to travel to Wales in an attempt to find out about the man's past. There he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an orphanage where children with special powers live together in a time loop, which keeps them safe. Jacob learns about the monsters who killed his grandfather called hallows. The hallows are killing people in the area and Jacob discovers that he is also "peculiar" and is the only one who can stop the killings. The time loop at the orphanage fails and the children must leave their home for their safety when Miss Peregrine is trapped in bird form.

Strengths:
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children has a Victorian steampunk feel to it that is emphasized by the use of creepy, black and white vintage photographs throughout the book. The characters are all very well developed. The plot twists are unexpected and dark and keep the reader interested as the book progresses. Handwritten letters add to the visual interest in the book. The time traveling elements give a science fiction feel to the otherwise horror or fantasy theme of the book.

Riggs, R., & McGurk, J. (2011). Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books.

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