I started a book club at the high school and this was the first book we read. It was a success and generated a lot of discussion- I was nervous that we would have nothing to say, silly me. The students really enjoyed it and are all looking forward to the next one in the series. I read this one on the Kindle and I don’t recommend the Kindle version, as the pictures were not as clear as they were in the book. This book is definitely a visual experience and the pictures add so much to the story. The Kindle just doesn’t do them justice. I mean, look how creepy these photos are:
Summary: Jacob grew up listening to his grandfather tell stories of Miss Peregrine and her home for peculiar children, children who possessed special talents such as being able to fly, the strength to lift boulders, and the power of invisibility. Jacob always thought they were just stories, nothing more. When his grandfather dies, Jacob and his father visit the home where he grew up and Jacob discovers there may have been some truth to the stories his grandfather told. The people his grandfather described seem to actually exist, but the strange thing is none of them have aged a day. Suddenly, Jacob finds himself in a time loop stuck in 1940 and running from the same monsters who killed his grandfather.
Review: The phrase I have been using to describe this book is “deliciously creepy”. There is a certain darkness to this story that I found appealing. The characters are intriguing and I liked that their peculiarities were not your typical special powers, but instead strange little quirks based on the photos the author discovered in his research. The last third of the book moves very quickly in an intense climactic scene and I found myself rushing to see what was going to happen. The author definitely left the book open to a sequel, which I believe is in the works. I did find the relationship between Jacob and Emma (his grandfather’s childhood girlfriend) to be a little disturbing, but hey, maybe that’s just me.
State of Denmark 