At first glance, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs looks very creepy and unwelcoming however it’s just as the title describes, peculiar. One thing that makes the story special in particular is the pictures. While reading the book, the pictures tend to stick out like sore thumbs while the story connects in a way that makes perfect sense with the plot. Where there were pictures, there was always a description that went with the picture explaining why it was relevant. One example is a picture of a girl that looks as if she’s floating. A character in the story was a girl that was lighter than air. These types of pictures made the book more intriguing, helping the reader get involved mentally as well as leaving the reader hungry for more chapter to chapter.

Jacob, the protagonist, lives in Florida until he has to go on a journey to find the children from the pictures and stories his Grandpa named Abe told him about before he died. Jacob witnessed the death of Abe after getting a call from him saying that needs a weapon. Jacob’s grandfather’s dying words were clues that led Jacob to the island where the “Peculiar Children” lived leading a wight, or the antagonist to the island with a murderous personality in hopes of immortality. The clues in the story were really well thought out, making sure that the reader can clearly understand how they relate to Jacob finding the island that he needs to go to. This helped guided the plot around seemingly effortlessly.

Surprisingly, Miss Peregrine was not the main character in the book even though her name’s in the title. She was more of a flat character that liked to stay consistent with rules to keep the Peculiar Children safe while she stood in behind the scenes. Jacob, the main antagonist, was definitely a round character changing a lot from the beginning of the story to the end. The antagonist changed significantly in a literal way because he was a shapeshifter that could take shape of different people. He even posed as Jacob’s psychiatrist going by the name of Doctor Golan. This book overall taught me that not everyone is truly who they claim they are.

The type of reader that would really enjoy this book is someone that likes small increments of history contradicting the present era. The reader would also have to enjoy powers that these children have to classify themselves as peculiar. The story includes monsters, and it’s own version of superheroes as well as supervillains. I would definitely recommend the book due to its creativity and other instruments adding to the story. If someone has a book report, or even just some free time, I recommend Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.