Mystery/Suspense: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

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Evaluation of the book:

Layered with tension, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is an absolute page turner. Beginning with the mysterious death of protagonist Jake’s grandfather in the first few pages, the story takes the reader - and Jake - on an adventure to figure out who exactly Jake’s grandpa is. Jake doesn’t know who or what his grandfather is and, as it turns out, he doesn’t know who or what he himself is, either. The reader follows Jake into the unknown and the layers of tension keep building: we don’t know what we’ll discover on the mysterious island in Scotland; we don’t know when or if or how the hollows (the bad guys) will come; we don’t know whether Emma will fall for Jake even though she used to be in love with his grandfather. The reader keeps turning the pages, faster and faster, in an attempt to learn more and to appease the building tensions.

The buildup of tension is further helped along by the first person point of view of the story. Told from Jake’s point of view, the story has a necessary air of mystery and suspense because we the readers don’t know any more than Jake does about his situation and what is to come. We experience each of the tensions noted above in real time as Jake discovers and lives through them. Jake doesn’t know what’s to come; neither do we. But we sure want to find out!

Finally, the book is laced with spooky images that are like a cherry on top of the already suspenseful and spooky story and tone. Author Riggs will vividly describe peculiar people and setting and then, on the very next page, the reader discovers a black and white photograph of that exact setting or person. The photos are eery and creepy and help cement the spooky mood of the book.

Response:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is the perfect Young Adult novel. It’s well-written, exciting, and perfectly paced. It’s characters are well-developed and realistic; it’s easy to relate to them, even if the story itself is fantastic. The photographs throughout give the perfect finishing touch of spookiness. I enjoyed this book immensely as an adult, but I can see anyone from age 12 and up enjoying it thoroughly. It truly spans the entire age range of what makes up a “Young Adult” reader. Mystery & suspense are not my go-to genres, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

Conclusion:

Suspenseful, well-written, and visually exciting, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is an excellent novel. I recommend that anyone, even those who normally steer clear of fantastical or suspenseful mystery novels, give this novel a chance because I believe that they, like me, will be pleasantly surprised. I’m eagerly waiting for the day when I’ll have time to read the second book in Riggs’ Peculiar Children series because I want to journey alongside Jake and his friends as they continue their adventures.

APA Style Reference:

Riggs, R. (2013). Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books.