Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
A mysterious island, an abandoned orphanage, and a strange collection of very curious photographs. Sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman has grown up listening to his grandfather's extraordinary tales about living in a magical children's home during World War II. When a family tragedy strikes, Jacob travels to a remote Welsh island to uncover the truth behind these stories.
What he discovers is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where the impossible becomes real. The children his grandfather described actually exist, each with remarkable and unusual abilities. One girl can conjure fire with her hands, another floats in the air, and a boy remains completely invisible.
But these peculiar children face grave dangers from monstrous creatures that hunt them. Jacob learns he possesses a rare gift that connects him to his grandfather's past and makes him essential to protecting his new friends. As mysteries unravel and threats close in, Jacob must decide between his ordinary life and an extraordinary adventure.
This darkly enchanting fantasy blends a gripping narrative with haunting vintage photographs collected by author Ransom Riggs. The eerie black-and-white images bring the peculiar world vividly to life, creating an unforgettable reading experience. Perfect for readers who love atmospheric tales with a touch of the macabre, this New York Times bestseller launches an adventure that will captivate teens and adults alike.
Interesting Facts
Born from Flea Market Treasures: Ransom Riggs collected vintage photographs from flea markets and swap meets across Southern California, often paying just a quarter or fifty cents per image. He met collector Leonard Lightfoot at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, which opened doors to other collectors and helped him amass the haunting images that would inspire the entire story.
Started as a Picture Book: The novel was originally conceived as a picture book showcasing Riggs’ peculiar photograph collection. An editor at Quirk Books suggested he weave a narrative around the images instead, transforming the concept into a full-fledged novel where the photographs drive the plot forward.
Over Ten Million Copies Sold: The book has sold more than ten million copies worldwide and spent over two years on the New York Times bestseller list. It reached number one in April 2012 after spending 45 weeks climbing the charts, cementing its status as a modern young adult phenomenon.
Translated into 40 Languages: This peculiar tale has been translated into 40 different languages, bringing Jacob’s adventures to readers across the globe and proving that the combination of eerie photographs and fantasy storytelling transcends cultural boundaries.
Tim Burton Brought It to Life: Director Tim Burton adapted the book into a major motion picture released in 2016, starring Eva Green as Miss Peregrine and Asa Butterfield as Jacob. The film rights were sold to 20th Century Fox in May 2011, just months after the book’s publication.
Contains Over 50 Vintage Photographs: The novel features more than 50 authentic vintage photographs woven throughout the narrative. These aren’t illustrations created for the book but real found photographs from the early 20th century that Riggs carefully selected to match his story.
Author Studied Film at USC: Ransom Riggs earned his MFA in film from the University of Southern California, and his background in visual storytelling heavily influenced his unique approach to writing. He originally wanted to be a screenwriter before discovering his passion for novels.
Spawned a Six-Book Series: What began as a standalone novel expanded into a complete series of six books, including Hollow City, Library of Souls, A Map of Days, The Conference of the Birds, and The Desolations of Devil’s Acre, plus companion works like Tales of the Peculiar.
Graphic Novel Adaptation: Artist Cassandra Jean illustrated a graphic novel adaptation released in October 2013, reimagining the story with original artwork while maintaining the eerie atmosphere of the vintage photographs from the original novel.
John Green Praised It: Fellow bestselling YA author John Green called the book unforgettable, praising how the photographs and text work together brilliantly. The novel also earned comparisons to Harry Potter from CNN and was dubbed “Tim Burton-esque” by USA Today.
Set on a Fictional Welsh Island: The story takes place on Cairnholm, a fictional remote island off the coast of Wales, where Jacob discovers the ruins of Miss Peregrine’s orphanage. The Welsh setting adds atmospheric isolation and mystery to the peculiar children’s hidden world.
Riggs Looked Through Half a Million Photos: To find the perfect images for the first book and his companion project Talking Pictures, Riggs examined approximately half a million vintage photographs. His standards grew higher as he found more compelling images, turning photo hunting into an obsession.
Quotes
"We cling to our fairy tales until the price for believing in them becomes too high."
"I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was."
"Sometimes you just need to go through a door."
"You don’t have to make us feel safe, because you’ve made us feel brave."
"Strange, I thought, how you can be living your dreams and your nightmares at the very same time."
"We weren't peculiars, we were just kids pretending to be extraordinary."
"When someone won’t let you in, eventually you stop knocking."
"To have endured so much and still have the will to begin again was more than I could understand."
"We’re peculiar, but we’re not infallible."
"You don’t have to make us feel safe, because you’ve made us feel brave."
"Hope left. But I stayed, because I was stubborn. Or loyal. Or just in too deep to climb out and unwilling to look at how far down I was."
"If all lives end, what meaning does living have?"
"The most peculiar thing about the home was not how strange its inhabitants were, but how normal they seemed to make you feel."
"But I could not imagine myself without the weight of my peculiarities."
"We are the peculiar, and we are not alone."
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