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    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
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    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
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    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
    Audiobook9 hours

    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

    Written by Ransom Riggs

    Narrated by Jesse Bernstein

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

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    About this audiobook

    A mysterious island.


    An abandoned orphanage.


    A strange collection of very curious photographs.


    It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that makes for a thrilling listening experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive.


    A spine-tingling fantasy, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.


    After listening to the audiobook, look for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD.

    Editor's Note

    A chilling tale…

    “Peculiar” is putting it mildly for this highly ambitious first novel that plays with the power of perceptions. A chilling tale full of gothic, X-Men-esque characters that’s been adapted for the big screen by Tim Burton.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJun 7, 2011
    ISBN9780307913012

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    Reviews for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

    4/5

    5,674 ratings715 reviews

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    • 3/5
       The main interest for me with this book was the way the author wove photographs with the story. At times the meshing of the photos and the story were a bit forced but it added interest overall.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      It was okay, though this really feels like WWII-era Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Children except timelocked on an island in Wales.
    • 3/5
      For 90% of it's length, this book was incredible. I couldn't put it down. I was intrigued by the mystery of it all and discovering how it would unfold. When it finally did, I was so disappointed in the ending. Enough so that I doubt I'll ever read any of the others.
    • 5/5
      This book has been on my "to read" list since 2011, and I just now picked it up! I'm so glad I did, because it's so amazing and creative. I love that Riggs includes photographs with the story - it's so interesting to see pictures in a book that isn't for (young) children or inserts in a nonfiction book. I thought they might have been photoshopped, but there's a section in the back of the book that explains how Riggs found these photos. The story itself is incredibly interesting as well. Jacob is a sixteen-year-old boy who grew up hearing exaggerated stories about his grandfather's childhood. He's even seen pictures, but writes them off as fakes. After his grandfather dies, Jacob gets a chance to travel to the home where his grandfather grew up. It's hard to find, but once he does, Jacob learns the truth about his grandfather - and doesn't want to leave.
    • 3/5
      I have been eager to read this book since it came out. It sounded really creepy and I had high hopes for it based on early positive reviews I had read. Unfortunately this book did not live up to my expectations. I guess I was hoping for something that had more appeal to adults as well as kids, like the Harry Potter and Twilight books. The writing in this book was definitely geared more towards a younger reader, I would think 10-12 year olds would really like it. What kid wouldn't want to find out he is special and has some type of power.

      I thought the plot was interesting and different. The island in the book sounded fascinating. The ending of the book was set up for a sequel, but I don't think I will be reading it. The photos in the book were fun to look at and added to the atmosphere in the story. I would recommend this book for middle school kids looking for something fun to read.
    • 3/5
      [Cross-posted to Knite Writes]This was a fun story. It wasn’t something I could take all that seriously because it felt a little young, but it was certainly an interesting adventure. With the pictures and all the kids with different powers, it was hard not to be amused. As a dramatic paranormal fiction story, it falls a little flat, but it was enjoyable to read.A lot of the plot twists were predictable, and on occasion, I felt like Riggs could have moved a lot of the revelations forward. He waits quite a while to officially reveal several key ideas, but they were hinted at so much throughout that they didn’t really have much impact by the time I got to them.His characters were interesting, but several of them felt like caricatures instead of realistic people. They missed obvious details and believed obvious lies. They overreacted to some things and under-reacted to others. Like I said, it felt young. It stretched my suspension of disbelief a little too far, as if I was reading something closer to children’s fiction instead of a book meant for teens and up.
    • 5/5
      This is a Reading Good Books review.For the past two weeks, I took a break from reading (and reviewing) and explored the beauty of San Francisco. Spending those weeks with my relatives that I haven’t seen in a long time was so much fun and a welcome break from everything. I started on some books I found on their shelves but I haven’t finished them. (I was more than halfway through Max Brooks’ The Zombie Survival Guide before I left.) On the road home, I fired up my B&N nook and started on this, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.The book is about sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman going on a journey to an island in Wales to find out what happened in his grandfather’s past. Growing up, Grampa Portman told Jacob stories about an invisible boy, a floating girl, and other strange children. Peculiar, as they called themselves. These stories were so unbelievable that Jacob – and his family – thought they were simply fairy tales. But as tragedy struck, Jacob began to think… what if these peculiar children are real?I’ve heard a lot of buzz about this book and decided to give it a go. And as you know, a long bus/train ride is my favorite place to read. As I rolled into Los Angeles, I was midway through. The reviews that I’ve read are pretty much split in the middle. Some loved it and some thought it was not that good. I loved it. In fact, I’ve placed it in my “Favorites” pile. Sure, it wasn’t perfect but I thought it was a very, VERY good read.My favorite part of the whole book were the illustrations. According to the author, they are real found snapshots and the story was written around it. I am totally in love with that idea. The pictures the author used were haunting and creepy, and it totally added to the sheer beauty of the piece. The story has random popular culture references, either directly or indirectly. Doctor Who, rap music, Groundhog Day, Lord of the Flies, Peter Pan, even Jeffrey Dahmer…The book really sucks you in. It does get a little tedious towards the middle but it was a necessary evil, methinks. Even though the book has referenced some previous work, it was very original. I liked the mixing of fact and fiction to create a new world.What I did not like so much, as with the majority of the YA books that I read, was the “teen romance” aspect. Frankly, I was a bit freaked out. I understand why it had to be there but gladly, there wasn’t much of it. Also, the characters were not well developed. I can tell what makes them peculiar but almost nothing on their personalities. Even the ages of the peculiar kids were not clearly stated so it was kind of difficult for me to picture some of the scenes. Was 16-year-old Jacob talking to a small child or someone who was in the same age bracket? However, I do hope the author works on character development if there will be a sequel. The author CANNOT leave it at that!Here and there, I can see the effort of the author to make Jacob sound like your typical YA hero – being hormonal, indecisive, jaded. In some parts, he loses that teenage angst tone. I actually like that. I believe that Jacob being 16 is the only thing tying this book to the YA genre. It can easily be a children’s book (along the lines of Harry Potter) or a contemporary adult piece. Readers across all ages will surely enjoy this.Rating: 5/5.Recommendation: I want all of you to read it! Read it aloud to your children. This is definitely an adventure.
    • 5/5
      The premise: ganked from BN.com: A mysterious island.An abandoned orphanage.A strange collection of very curious photographs.It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow -- impossible though it seems -- they may still be alive.A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.My Rating: Couldn't Put It DownI finished this in a day. It was too easy for me to fall into the rhythm and magic of this story, which bridges the fantasy and horror genres in such a way that I always felt tense, waiting for the next scare, yet also charmed by every magical discovery. While the book isn't perfect, and relies almost too much on the old-timey photos, I found it a refreshing and utterly enjoyable read, and a rather original one at that. I don't often read YA novels with guys in the lead, and the magic and world-building combined also had a touch of uniqueness. Needless to say, I'll be getting the sequel whenever it comes out, but I do hope the series or trilogy or whatever it will be maintains the interesting pull between enchantment and horror, because that's what really sold it for me.Spoilers, yay or nay?: YAY. It's a book club selection, so there will be spoilers. The full review is at my blog (with spoilers), which you can reach by clicking the link below. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.REVIEW: Ransom Riggs' MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDRENHappy Reading!
    • 4/5
      Jacob's grandfather tells him stories. Fantastic stories, of children who can float, or are invisible, or have bees living inside of their bodies. Scary stories, of monsters who prey on those who are different. Stories of how at a very young age he ran from those monsters, coming to America to be safe.

      When he was very young, Jacob believed. His grandfather had pictures of those magical children, after all, so why shouldn't he believe? When he was older, Jacob thought he'd discovered the real story. That his Jewish grandfather came to America to escape the Nazis. All those peculiar children, they were different, not with bees inside and super-strength, but with Judaism or other things his young mind doesn't know. And the monsters? Well, there's nothing more monstrous than what the Nazis did.

      The thing is, all his grandfather's stories are true. There are monstrous men and monsters in this world, and there are people who are different and also children who are very peculiar indeed.
    • 4/5
      A quick summary of the book: a 16 year old boy named Jacob goes on an adventure after a family tragedy to find the orphanage his grandfather grew up in as a child. His grandfather told him stories of the children at the orphanage and their special abilities (what made them peculiar.) On his trip Jacob learns that his grandfather wasn't just telling him fairy tales and that there's more to this orphanage than originally believed.

      What I absolutely love about this book is the creep factor. It's not hide under the bed creepy, but it's enough to make your skin crawl and continue reading for more weird details. My favorite characters are Grandpa Portman, Miss Peregrine, and the peculiar children. Oddly enough the main character, Jacob, is not really my favorite. One detail that differentiates this novel from all others is the use of photographs. Throughout the novel you learn about the photos Jacob's grandpa showed him as a child and during his journey Jacob finds more photos. Whenever a photo is mentioned the next page is a print of that photo. These are actual photographs from different collections. From what I read, these photographs were Ransom Riggs' inspiration for the book.

      Some things that I would have loved to see in this book are more detail around Grandpa Portman's story and more detail around the bad guys. I felt that Grandpa Portman's part of the story was really short. I also felt like I didn't completely understand what the bad guys were or what they were after, but to be fair this is the first book in the series. It definitely has my attention and I'm looking forward to reading book #2!

      If you like creepy fantasy type novels then I think this just might be the book for you.
    • 3/5
      I felt this book developed too slowly. Riggs' approach to this book was creative and interesting but I felt the plot could have been developed faster.
    • 5/5
      Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is the first book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series. Sixteen-year-old Jacob has questions after a family tragedy, which leads him to a remote island and to a ruined orphanage, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Plot 5/5: This is a most unusual and intriguing plot.Characters 5/5: There were so many emotions that had me laughing, crying, and fearful for the characters throughout the story.World building 5/5: Incredible world building between the present and the past.Pacing 5/5: The pacing was steady, and kept me enthralled throughout the story.Writing 5/5: The writing is beautiful, and with the addition of the vintage photographs, it made the story even more believable. Overall 5/5I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I'm eagerly anticipating what happens next to the peculiar children!Borrowed from my local library.
    • 3/5
      This is a book apparently based on/inspired by a set of odd Victorian photographs that seem to depict otherworldly children. As you might expect, it's a quirky little book, incorporating time loops, a headmistress who can turn into a falcon, a tiny British isle, and (of course) monsters. But through all the oddity, there's a strand of sentiment that tugs at the heartstrings. Maybe the best review I can offer is that immediately upon finishing this one, I purchased the sequel (which just came out on Jan. 14, 2014.)
    • 4/5
      since I did not like the movie...having watched that first, I had thus little expectation of the book. it however has surprised me quite a bit and I had fun reading it.
    • 4/5
      Strange. I was hoping to enjoy it more than I did. For me it started a little slowly, but improved as it deepened. I did like the characters and especially the bad guys. I always get a bit frustrated when a book that I expected to be a complete story ends up needing a sequel, and this one fits that description.

      Interesting book, fun use of some really neat old photos. I probably will look for the sequel.
    • 4/5
      Wanted to read this when it first came out and finally have. I expected a strange story and was intrigued with the photos in the book. I was not disappointed.Jacob is just going through life. He feels he must be different from the other kids but isn't shure what or why.His Grandfather tells strange tales tales of his past. Unusual people and places and events. Jacob isn't sure if any of it is true, but his Grandfather is ademant that it is all true.A chance comes for Jacob to visit the place that his Grandfather has told about. A possibility for Jacob to see if things are really as he has been told. What he finds is an abandoned orphanage and photographs of bizarre people on a mysterious island. What they lead him to is another place where he meets the children of the orphanage and the events surrounding the children and the place.The children may be peculiar and society may have considered them dangerous or too strange to be part of the current society, so they have taken shelter in this strange place. A place that is safe for them....or is it?Jacob learns the truth about his Grandfather's childhood and later adult years. He also learns abut why he feels not quite a part of his world. It is a bit of a coming of age story with a few strange twists.I took my time reading this so as to give time to reviewing what I had read and the direction that the story line was going. The author was good in painting the atmosphere of the place and the characters. I enjoyed that and found that it made the story richer.I know there is another book tied to this one and I am still wondering if I will read it or if I will just enjoy letting the residue drift through my mind.
    • 4/5
      I didn't know what to expect with this book. I enjoyed it and am going to move on to the second book. It's an interesting world that the author creates. Can't wait to see the movie.
    • 4/5
      It is practically impossible to say anything about Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
      without spoiling even the tiniest plot, so I will keep this one short. If you need a modern Gothic tale, full of fascinating characters - Alma Peregrine is such an intriguing figure- , myths, fantasy, action, vintage photos and whatnot, then you should read Ransom Riggs' first installment of the saga.
    • 4/5
      A mystery that involves incorporating actual old, creepy photos into the story? Sign me up!

      Seriously, that’s the hook that drew me into this entertaining read. I purchased this and its sequel at Powell’s (I should really go back and see how many of my CBR reviews are on books I purchased there this year). I read the book in basically one sitting, on a two-hour flight, because I could not put it down.

      Jacob is fifteen, and his grandfather has just died. Been killed, actually. Possibly by wild dogs? Grandfather had told Jacob many elaborate stories over the years, based off of his time in an orphanage on an island in Wales. At some point, Jacob stopped believing the stories were true, but after finding Grandfather’s body, he has some issues, and convinces his parents to let him and his dad go to this island. From there things transpire that I won’t share because it’s more fun to discover them yourself.

      I don’t have a lot to say about this book other than that I really enjoyed it. The use of creepy old photos is brilliant and adds a really interesting layer to the book. Now, it isn’t a horror thriller (although there is a lot of creepiness and a fair bit of action), so I don’t think you’ll have to pull a Rachel reading The Shining and keep it in the freezer overnight. But it’s a bit odd, and definitely unsettling. Perfect for October, frankly.
    • 3/5
      I was given a copy of this book for a birthday present, because I said I wanted to see the movie. Stalled on the movie until after I finished the book.Not sure what to make of this book. I want to like it. I'm feeling like the first two chapters could have been reduced to one, or a prologue, since the backstory doesn't hold a lot of draw. At 20% complete, I felt like the book couldn't decide what it wanted to be. A thriller, a kids book exploring his past, or just a kids adventure. Writing is good. Just very much wobbly.Somehow, I knew it wouldn't all lead to this being a lone normal among the special. Jacob is the rarity that can see the bad guys. And the family struggles combined with his indecision. There's a definite shift to the book about 50% through where it makes up its mind to be a thriller/horror book. And to that point, with the indecision, that felt like a jolt while reading it. For the book, it's definitely a complete story, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. I could stop with this story and feel like I'd read enough. Whether I progress to the next is an undecided at this time.Still want to see the movie for Eva Green, but maybe not the storyline...
    • 3/5
      The beginning of this book was very good, and I had high hopes for it. I was hoping it would turn into something kind of surreal like the books of Jonathan Carroll. I was disappointed, though. The story was about Jacob's being told something strange by his grandfather as the latter suffered a death which appeared to be by trauma. I liked Jacob's grandfather and would have liked to have learned more about him. Jake's relationship with his own father was almost painful to read. Most of the book was Jacob's discovering what his grandfather's dying words meant and looking into his grandfather's past. The best part of the book was the photographs which, at the end of the book, I learned were real. The book itself was a visual treat with its strange cover art, the vintage photographs, its brown, decorated pages between the chapters, and the curvy lines at the bottom of every page. The bulk of this story did not make for very enjoyable reading, though. It was predictable and ended in a way which looked as if the author was starting book two of a series (which she was!). I am not in any way interested in reading any further in this series. Book one was more than enough for me!
    • 3/5
      It ended so abruptly! The pictures were really interesting and the story was original. If I knew there was going to be a sequel or if it hadn't just ended I probably would have rated it higher.
    • 5/5
      Loved the setting of the story, the characters and the uniqueness of the plot. This was a easy read that I didn't want to put down at all. Can't wait to read the sequel.
    • 5/5
      Jacob is a young man that adores his grandfather, Abe, despite the fact that age seems to be getting the best of him. Abe tells Jacob stories of the orphanage he lived in growing up and the children he lived with. But these children weren't ordinary orphans, but rather peculiar. Jacob dismisses what he's told until the untimely death of grandfather at the hand of a strange creature in the woods. After months of counseling, Jacob and his father venture to the island where Abe's orphanage was located. What ensues is far beyond Jacob's expectations as he learns that not only were his grandfather's stories right, but there is far more to the tales than what he was told.

      This book has been a "to-read" for quite some time, ever since I first saw it at the book store. With the film coming to the big screen soon, I knew it was time to dig in. The chapters are long, but broken up with pictures to add to the descriptions of the characters. I usually don't read books that have pictures, but this added to the image I was creating for each character in my mind instead of distracting from the story. I was so hooked on this book that 2 nights in a row I had trouble putting it down and continued to convince myself to read "1 more chapter." The story was unlike one I have read before, and I mean that in a good way. The story flowed from scene to scene and left me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen to Jacob and his peculiar friends. I can't wait to dig into the next 2 of the series solely based on how this one read.
    • 3/5
      I felt this book developed too slowly. Riggs' approach to this book was creative and interesting but I felt the plot could have been developed faster.
    • 3/5
      The story was entertaining but honestly I've got to say, I think the vintage photos were my favorite aspect of this book as opposed to the story or the writing. The writing style was fresh, full of teenage angst and the appropriate level of sarcasm and I flew through this book at a very rapid pace. At the end of the day, I was entertained but not wowed.
    • 4/5
      Why does a person who is not fond of books for youth or fantasy pick up a book like this? Whimsy, I guess. And I'm actually glad I did. It is a quick read, easy without being facile, erudite, and...well, peculiar. Seeing the movie didn't quite prepare me for the book, which is, as books usually are, more complete and more satisfying. Jacob's search for the truth of his grandfather's death leads him into the world of peculiar children, which can be very satisfying for those who themselves are (or were) considered peculiar as children, because these peculiar children, outcasts in a world that doesn't understand them, are able to work their own forms of magic, something many of us would have wished for in our own lives. It is a form of childhood fantasy made flesh, but not without its dark side, like most childhood fantasies, in the form of monsters that eat peculiar children. Hard to put down.
    • 4/5
      I was afraid that this book wouldn't live up to the hype surrounding it, much like the ghastly vampire series which I will not name. I have been wanting to read it long before any of the hype began, so when I saw the first two books on sale for $12, I forced myself to read the first one. It was very well-written, and I was able to read it quickly. It was a very peculiar book indeed, which was a good thing. I don't think I have ever read anything quite like it. I really liked the characters, and the author does an awesome job of placing you right in the middle of the action, so much so, that I had to tear myself away from it. I am looking forward to the next book!
    • 3/5
      A light read for the train and nicely creepy. I loved the old photos that inspired and moved the plot along. First half was better than the second as it descended rather into descriptive writing about events that could have been better described in a few paragraphs. Better when it was still all a mystery and we were finding things out. I was also not captivated by the first person narrative.
    • 3/5
      I enjoy reading Ransom Riggs for ages in Mental Floss, so picked this up due to that, and well, what a great premise! And the photos!
      I enjoyed it, liked it... sort of a freak show Hogwarts thing going on... I was expecting the peculiars to be darker, but I've been wrong before.
      Hear Tim Burton is eyeing it.