It 's a story that stays with you even after you shut the book
How is book?
I am going to start my little review with the one aspect of this gem of a book that I disliked: it becomes apparent towards the end that it is "part one" of a series. This might not be a negative for some folks, but I am rather tired of the trend that YA books MUST be serialized. One of these days I would really like a great, thrilling, stand-alone YA story.Okay, enough of that grumpiness.So, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I liked it a lot. It has a stunningly lovely cover. I liked the integration of creepy old photos with the story, and I thought the tale was great fun, spooky and imaginative. The action bogged down a bit in the middle of the book, but there is very welcome and scary jolt around chapter nine that sets the story apace again. Most of the characters are interesting and curious(peculiar!), although the protagonist, Jacob, is not really one of them. The conceit of a hidden time-loop world, extraordinary and ageless children, shape-shifting bird/governesses, and ghastly wights and horrid hallowgasts make for a thrilling adventure. As noted, the story slogs a bit in the middle, but there are enough twists, chases, and creepy revelations towards the end to save it. I will seek out the next installment because I want to find out how the kids and the Bird fare in their quest, but gosh I sure do wish that it had simply been a bigger book with tighter storytelling. That said--I highly recommend Miss Peregrine and her fabulous wards as a great read and even better leaping off point for a day's musings. It's a story that stays with you even after you shut the book.Be sure to check out the author's website---- for some great videos and news about his upcoming photo collection book called Talking Pictures. 