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More copies of this ISBN

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Cover

ISBN13: 9781594744761
ISBN10: 1594744769
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow — impossible though it seems — they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Review:

"Riggs's atmospheric first novel concerns 16-year-old Jacob, a tightly wound but otherwise ordinary teenager who is 'unusually susceptible to nightmares, night terrors, the Creeps, the Willies, and Seeing Things That Aren't Really There.' When Jacob's grandfather, Abe, a WWII veteran, is savagely murdered, Jacob has a nervous breakdown, in part because he believes that his grandfather was killed by a monster that only they could see. On his psychiatrist's advice, Jacob and his father travel from their home in Florida to Cairnholm Island off the coast of Wales, which, during the war, housed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Abe, a Jewish refugee from the Nazis, lived there before enlisting, and the mysteries of his life and death lead Jacob back to that institution. Nearly 50 unsettling vintage photographs appear throughout, forming the framework of this dark but empowering tale, as Riggs creates supernatural backstories and identities for those pictured in them (a boy crawling with bees, a girl with untamed hair carrying a chicken). It's an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters. Ages 12 — up. (June)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review:

"A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story." John Green, New York Times best-selling author of Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns

Review:

"It's an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"An original work that defies categorization, this first novel should appeal to readers who like quirky fantasies. Riggs includes many vintage photographs that add a critical touch of the peculiar to his unusual tale." Library Journal

Review:

"With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it's no wonder Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+" Entertainment Weekly

Review:

"Peculiar doesn't even begin to cover it. Riggs' chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies." People
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About the Author

Ransom Riggs grew up in Florida but now makes his home in the land of peculiar children — Los Angeles. Along the way he earned degrees from Kenyon College and the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television, got married, and made some award-winning short films. He moonlights as a blogger and travel writer, and his series of travel essays, Strange Geographies, can be found at mentalfloss.com or via ransomriggs.com. This is his first novel.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 21 comments:
Amanda L Klehr, April 19, 2012 (view all comments by Amanda L Klehr)
A fun and interesting read. The pictures are weaved seamlessly into the story in a very unique and engaging way. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a little mystery with a bit of "lost" history.
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lmihajlich, January 26, 2012 (view all comments by lmihajlich)
I really enjoyed the expirimentation in medium in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The use of authentic vintage photographs made it feel like I was sorting through the documents in someone's attic. The story would have been entertaining without the photgraphs, but with them, it was a thoroughly memorable and interesting read.
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(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
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olderthanthat, January 19, 2012 (view all comments by olderthanthat)
The first element that drew me to this book was the old photo on the cover of a little girl levitating a few inches above the ground. In fact,there were a large number of vintage photographs throughout the book whose subjects and/or scenes were definitely peculiar. What was amazing was how the author, Ransom Riggs, was able to create a suspenseful, evocative, and engrossing story that incorporated all those photos - seemingly unrelated, at first glance - into a cohesive tale that grabs the reader's interest from the first page and doesn't let go until the final sentence. Full of twists and surprises, the story leads us not only through the puzzling, seemingly abandoned old Home for Peculiar Children, but through the lives and unique abilities of the young hero who explores it, the headmistress (who is pretty peculiar herself) and the peculiar and amazing children who once lived there. Or do they live there still? Very entertaining!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781594744761
Author:
Riggs, Ransom
Publisher:
Quirk Books
Subject:
Horror & Ghost Stories
Subject:
Children s-Science Fiction and Fantasy
Copyright:
2011
Publication Date:
20110607
Binding:
Hardback
Grade Level:
Young adult
Language:
English
Pages:
352
Dimensions:
8.47 x 5.48 x 1.14 in 1.4 lb
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Related Subjects


Children's » General
Children's » Middle Readers » General
Children's » Science Fiction and Fantasy » General
Featured Titles » General
Featured Titles » Literature
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » Debut Fiction
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Children's » Scary Stories » General
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Children's » Science Fiction and Fantasy » General
Young Adult » Fiction » Horror
Young Adult » Fiction » Paranormal
Young Adult » General

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children New Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$17.99 In Stock
Product details 352 pages Quirk Books - English 9781594744761 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Riggs's atmospheric first novel concerns 16-year-old Jacob, a tightly wound but otherwise ordinary teenager who is 'unusually susceptible to nightmares, night terrors, the Creeps, the Willies, and Seeing Things That Aren't Really There.' When Jacob's grandfather, Abe, a WWII veteran, is savagely murdered, Jacob has a nervous breakdown, in part because he believes that his grandfather was killed by a monster that only they could see. On his psychiatrist's advice, Jacob and his father travel from their home in Florida to Cairnholm Island off the coast of Wales, which, during the war, housed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Abe, a Jewish refugee from the Nazis, lived there before enlisting, and the mysteries of his life and death lead Jacob back to that institution. Nearly 50 unsettling vintage photographs appear throughout, forming the framework of this dark but empowering tale, as Riggs creates supernatural backstories and identities for those pictured in them (a boy crawling with bees, a girl with untamed hair carrying a chicken). It's an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters. Ages 12 — up. (June)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
"Review" by , "A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story."
"Review" by , "It's an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters."
"Review" by , "An original work that defies categorization, this first novel should appeal to readers who like quirky fantasies. Riggs includes many vintage photographs that add a critical touch of the peculiar to his unusual tale."
"Review" by , "With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it's no wonder Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+"
"Review" by , "Peculiar doesn't even begin to cover it. Riggs' chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies."
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