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

Citation: Riggs, R. (2011). //Miss peregrine's home for peculiar children//. Quirk Books. Summary: Jacob has always had a strong bond with his grandfather. His grandfather has always told fantastical stories about strange evil creatures and children with special skills. Everyone always assumed that his grandfather understood the difference between reality and his stories, but as he grows older he becomes paranoid about the evil creatures. Upon the death of his grandfather Jacob is left with his cryptic last words and a vision of a terrible creature. Jacob goes on a mission to figure out what these last words meant and is lead on a dangerous adventure to a tiny Welsh island. Here he encounters the children that his grandfather spoke of, unchanged for all the years. There is a girl that floats, a boy covered in bees, a boy that is half dog, a girl with a mouth on the back of her head, and many others. The children are all looked over by Miss Peregrine, who protects them in an isolated house on the back of the island that is in a time loop. Jacob is shocked to discover that all of his grandfather's stories were true, and that his grandfather grew up here. Although his grandfather seemed very normal, he too had a special ability. His special feature was the ability to see the evil creatures that hunt the children. Jacob too can see these creatures. Now, it is up to him to help protect the children from the impending dangers that are approaching.

Critique: This book is great for all ages, especially the middle grades. It is probably most suitable for 7th or 8th graders. The main character is a teen who feels isolated, as many teens do. There is excitement, adventure, mystery, and romance, all of which are enticing to middle school students. In the center of the book there are pictures of some of the peculiar children. Jacob finds these antique pictures with his grandfather's belongings, and including these pictures in the book makes the book even more engaging and believable. Students with special needs are likely to relate to Jacob and the peculiar children who are different from everyone else.

Content:
 * Special Education
 * This book provides a chance for the teacher and students to discuss how it feels to be different and how their different abilities can make things difficult, or benefit them. Every child has difficulties, but strengths as well.
 * There are some examples of children with poor social skills. Examining these situations would be great for social skills groups. Students can examine what was done inappropriately and what could have been done instead
 * English
 * Many of the strategies in our textbook could be used with this book
 * Narrative Pyramid
 * Discussion Web based on whether or not the kids should leave the island.
 * Bookmark Technique
 * Math
 * Students could participate in an activity in which they calculate the amount of time that has passed between the different years in the time warp.
 * Social Studies
 * A lot of this book coincides with WWII. Studying about WWII and the effects it had on civilians would be appropriate. Any studies concerning WWII would coincide great with this novel.
 * Students could research "peculiar" people throughout history.
 * Science
 * Students could do a research project on time travel and write about whether or not they believe it is or will be possible, and if it would be a good idea.
 * Students could do research on the stars and the amount of time it takes for their light to reach us. Jacob discusses stars as time travelers. He explains that many of the stars that we see no longer exist and could have been dead for a long time, but that to us they still seem to exist.
 * Students could study the ecosystem or climate of the island.

 =Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children=