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Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children


A teenage boy goes to visit the orphanage that his grandfather grew up in, except all the other children are still there---and they're still kids. Jacob Portman thinks he's going crazy. He keeps seeing things that shouldn't exist, and his mother and father have given him a therapist. The therapist tells Jacob that the things he's seeing are just manifestations of the stories Jacob's grandfather used to tell him when he was little; stories of kids with peculiar powers. The therapist suggest that Jacob go visit his grandfather's orphanage and see for himself that the stories were only stories. Jacob and his father head for Wales, his father for ornithology and Jacob to pay a visit to the children's home his grandfather grew up in. There's only one problem: a bomb struck the island in World War II, and the orphanage took a direct hit. The place Jacob finds is an incinerated husk, but he still feels the need to see the place for himself. One day while poking around, Jacob falls through the floor and hits his head--or at least he thinks he does. When he wakes up, he is surrounded by children. They look exactly like the children from the orphanage pictures his grandfather had. The children take Jacob to meet the headmistress: the eponymous Miss Peregrine. She explains to Jacob that she has a special power to loop time, and that she looped it around the children right before the bomb struck. She also explains that she's not the only one in the orphanage with special powers; all her charges have them too. Jacob gets to know the children, and grows fonder and fonder of a life within the loop than the life he left back in 21st century Florida. The longer he stays in the loop, the harder it will be to go back to the life he had. His choice is made for him, though, when Miss Peregrine is kidnapped. The children implore him to stay and help them rescue her, and the novel closes with the children leaving the island in search of their headmistress.
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Best part of story, including ending: I loved the way that WWII era Wales was made to feel just as relatable as Florida.

Best scene in story: There's a scene where there is an air-raid in 1940 Wales, and instead of hiding inside, the children all gather in the garden and watch the bombs streak past. They stand in a circle and hold hands as rubble grows around them, and it's sort of eerie how peaceful they all are. The calm innocence of the children is just in such contrast to the violence around them.

Opinion about the main character: Jacob has a really dry sense of humor that, although it doesn't make the situation any lighter, always seems to make things more bearable. And he also has a really close relationship with his grandfather.

The review of this Book prepared by Victoria Lurie a Level 2 American Robin scholar

Chapter Analysis of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence 20%planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 10%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 40%Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places 30% Tone of book    -   cynical or dry-wit Time Travel:    -   time repeating itself Is this an adult or child's book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Time Travel story?    -   Yes Story largely takes place in    -   1900-1960's

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Age:    -   a teen

Setting

Earth setting:    -   19th century    -   near future (later in 21st century) Takes place on Earth?    -   Yes

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment How much dialogue?    -   significantly more dialog than descript

Books with storylines, themes & endings like Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Ransom Riggs Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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