Miss+Peregrine's+Home+for+Peculiar+Children

//Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children// by Ransom Riggs

Loved this, as did a lot of staff and students. You can do a nice tie-in with the iPads, using photobooth to create odd photos then ask the students to write a short story about the photo they create. I liked the character development and the plot twists, and didn't realize till after I had read it that the photos were collected before the book was written. Very original. -Beth @ Laconia High

Pretty weird. It's based on a random assortment of old photographs that the author's woven into a story. The photos are included in the book. At times it does seem the connection to the photo is a bit of a stretch. I can't say I didn't like it, but I can't say I did like it either. Though it does have teen main characters, it doesn't really _feel_ YA. It also feels more like historical literary fiction than the fantasy/science fiction it technically is. -- Julie @ Nashua PL

I really loved this book, it has more of a universal appeal but it was unique and I loved the weird photographs. I have heard some reviewers say the romance was weird (there's a girl stuck in time who was once in love with the main character's grandfather). I have recommended this to a few of my teens and they all liked it. - Katie Spofford, Wadleigh Memorial Library, Milford, NH

Jacob Portman grew up with the stories his grandfather told him about the utopian world, filled with children with peculiar gifts, that his grandfather grew up in once he was sent away from his Nazi-filled world. When Jacob finds his grandfather dead and sees a monster at the scene, he feels he has lost his mind and slides into a reclusive world of his own. A note found in a book of poetry that was his grandfather starts Jacob on a path of discovery with the intent of learning about his grandfather's childhood. Jacob finds himself immersed in a battle of good vs. evil. This book would appeal to both boys and girls. The story starts with some really odd historical images and takes off from there. This story is intriguing. ~ Sharon Flesher-Duffy, Nashua High South

Although I found the book interesting, I did not find it well written, and it was also lacking in style - too many forced connections to the photos. I like the IDEA of the book better than the book itself. I have promoted it to students and the few who read it liked it but didn't love it.

Kelly B. Keene High School, 2/9/12

This book was so different from the typical YA fare. It still had an angsty teen boy in it, but he was intelligent and had a great mystery set out before him. The pictures were all quite peculiar and some downright creepy, but I agree with Kelly and Julie about there sometimes being some forced connections with the writing. I did really enjoy this book, and recommend it to kids looking for something a little bit odd. Brittany Moore Hall Memorial Library

I loved the book too, and I think it would strongly appeal to both boys and girls. The pictures are really creepy and sometimes added a lot to the story (I'm still having nightmares about that Santa and the picture with the shadow of the man who kidnapped the girl at the bus stop). It has hardly been on our shelves because it's always checked out. Caitlin Andrews, Bedford Public Library

I love the idea of the creepy/weird pictures in this book- and a lot of our students are picking it up, too. I loved the first half of the book, but was bored and lost interest in the second half. I think it would appeal to a wide variety of students- and it certainly causes you to think! Pam Harland ~ Sanborn Regional High School Library