Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Remember when I was losing my mind over the trailer for this book? Then my sister got it in the mail and was all, "Here you go." And I nearly slapped somebody.

I was nervous about reading this book because I do not like things that come out of wells with all the well-seaweed (algae?) on it and Angry Nails digging into dirt, etc etc. I read the prologue (and you can too) and it was great and I heaved a huge sigh of relief because I cannot handle the horror. And that's not what this story is about.

Jacob's Grandfather goes all wacky and dies in a most gruesome way claiming it was The Monsters (that he ran away from in his childhood) but really it was just a pack of ravenous dogs (which worries no one but ME because I know that once they taste the blood, no one is safe. But that doesn't seem to be an issue here).

Jacob then loses his mind after seeing The Monster in the bushes all tri-tongued and snarly so he has to go to therapy (a good way to meet chicks, no? No. But yes! You'll see.) and they all convince him he has lost his attic bats (that is, to say, his mind).

Let's backtrack: while Jacob's grandfather is dying in his arms (the blood people, the blood!) he says a few bat-crazy things and Jacob is all "WHY ARE YOU BEING ALL LIKE THAT RIGHT NOW, GRAMPA?!" and then the therapist, etc.

Jacob decides he needs to go to the tiny island on which his grandfather found refuge (when he was fleeing the Nazis as he was the wrong Jew in the wrong land) and discovers there are all sorts of magical (peculiar) children living there. And that his grandfather did indeed have all his attic bats. So it goes.

Everything turns retrospective and there is a girl (see??!?!) AND THEN ALL GOES AWRY! And I'm just going to say that the pages start to run out far before the story stitches itself back together.

I recommend reading this book. I became emotionally invested in the characters (who are now causing me agony until I get to read the next book) and I felt like I was there with them going through all these things. AND THERE ARE PICTURES. Lots of pictures.

I found myself editing and adding as I was reading ONLY because I felt so close to the book (as in wishing I had thought of the idea first so I would be the one writing the story).


RJP