Check the Shelf Book Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Shannan’s Summary

Jacob saw his grandfather die, but no one believes him when he says it was a monster.  After months of therapy from the trama, Jacob decides he needs closure.  He needs to know  what kind of man his grandfather was by traveling to the place he grew up: a isolated island off the coast of Wales.  But when he arrives to only find a fishing community and a decaying house, Jacob begins to loose hope of ever discovering reality from his grandfather’s fairytales.

First Off…

I bought this book when it first came out and for some reason never got around to reading it.  I’ve heard a lot of buzz about the series recently and figured it was time to read this one.

The Story:

This was a slow build for me.  If it hadn’t been for all the chatter raving about the book, I probably would have given up on this one.  However, I am glad I pushed through the slow beginning, as it’s a great story.   The slow build is necessary since it’s crucial the reader questions what is real and what is imagination.

It probably takes half the book to get to the meat of the story, but it’s worth the wait.  At this point, you’re introduced to a variety of colorful characters and a complex world.  I don’t want to say too much more since curiosity makes the story better.  The ending of this story takes a turn you’ll not guess and propel you into the next book, so be prepared.  

The Writing

I love the creative storytelling through mixed media. Riggs integrated vintage photographs with the story line.  I would be interested to find out how the story came together.  Whether he wrote the stories then added the pictures or found the pictures and it prompted the story or some collaboration of the two.

The photographs add a level to the story, knowing that they are real vintage pictures of real pictures.  Even though Riggs gives a story to the pictures, it still makes you wonder what was the real story behind the pictures.  Why did someone want to capture this moment or story in time?  It’s just a new method of storytelling that makes me want to look through my grandma’s pictures for long forgotten stories.

In the End

I loved the story.  It’s a great and creative and different.  Everything you want in a book.  If you’re looking for something off the beaten path this would be a great story.

10 Second Summary:

1. Great world:  I’m all about a well-developed world that’s different than what’s out in the world.
2. Creative Storytelling:  The combination of photographs and words in this story add a whole new depth to book that I haven’t experienced through other books.  
3. Slow Beginning: It takes a while to get into the story, but it’s worth it.

This book is a paperback level, but mostly because of the slow start.  I have high hopes for the rest of the series.