Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Supernatural)

Book Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Topic:  Finding Oneself , Supernatural

Thoughts: When I picked up this novel, I thought I would read all types of supernatural stories about strange children.  I did in a way, but the story line of Jacob trying to find out who he really is pulled me in. I also like how Riggs intersperses the story with pictures of characters that he refers to.  You decide for yourself if they are real or not.    

Jacob is a loner who has never traveled anywhere or seen anything extraordinary.  He enjoys listening to stories his grandfather tells him about growing up as an orphan on an island during World War II.  One night a monster, only Jacob can see, kills his grandfather.  Everyone tells him he is crazy except his psychiatrist who tells him he needs to visit the island his grandfather spoke of to find out if the stories are true.    

When Jacob first meets the peculiar children, I thought it was another one of those dreams characters have and then wake up at the end of the novel.  This is not like that at all.  Jacob visits with Miss Peregrine and the children during the day and goes back to his father and the pub in the evenings, until the monsters begin closing in.  

What teenager does not want to escape his or her ordinary life, graduate high school as soon as possible, and live life the way he or she wants?  Once you live on your own, your old life will be impossible to capture again.
  
As I say in class, "Your idea of normal is not the same as everyone else in class."  Hopefully after reading this novel, you will think people's peculiarities are cool like Jacob does and will be willing to accept others for their peculiarity instead of shunning them. 

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