Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Cover photograph courtesy of Yefim Tovbis
Author	Ransom Riggs
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Young adult literature, fantasy
Publisher	Quirk Books
Published in English	June 7, 2011
Media type	Print, e-book, audiobook
Pages	352 pp.
ISBN	978-1-59474-476-1
OCLC	664668604
Followed by	Hollow City

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a fantasy adventure book by American author Ransom Riggs. The story is told using both words and a collection of old, real photographs. These pictures came from different collectors.

This young adult book was first meant to be a picture book. It would just show the cool photos Riggs had collected. But an editor at Quirk Books suggested he use the photos to create a story. Riggs loved collecting pictures. He met Leonard Lightfoot, a famous collector, who helped him find more. The result is a story about a boy who follows clues from his grandfather's old photos and tales. This leads him on an amazing adventure to an abandoned orphanage on a made-up Welsh island called Cairnholm.

The book became a New York Times best seller. It reached the number one spot on the Children's Chapter Books list. People have praised the book for its creative use of old-style photos. They also liked the interesting characters and settings.

The Story of Miss Peregrine's Home

As a child, Jacob Magellan Portman loved his grandfather Abraham's stories. Abraham told tales about surviving World War II and running from scary monsters. He also spoke of living with special children in a secret home. This home was protected by a "wise old bird." As Jacob grew older, he started to doubt these stories.

But then, his grandfather died. Abraham was found in his garden, hurt and tired. His last words were a mystery: "...find the bird in the loop on the other side of the old man's grave on September 3, 1940, and tell them what happened." As Abraham died, Jacob saw a horrible monster. It looked just like the ones in his grandfather's stories.

Jacob started having nightmares about these monsters. His parents thought he was going crazy. They took him to a psychiatrist, Dr. Golan. Dr. Golan suggested Jacob go to Cairnholm, Wales. This was where his grandfather's children's home was. Jacob went there to face his fears.

Jacob found the old house, but it was empty and dusty. Local people said the place was haunted. They believed a bomb had killed everyone there on September 3, 1940.

Jacob felt a strong connection to the place. He refused to give up and went back to the house. There, he met a mysterious girl who could make fire with her hands. He followed her, trying to ask questions after she called out his grandfather's name. They reached the bogs around the house. Jacob then realized that the people of Cairnholm were different. Even the people at the inn were strange, and his father wasn't there.

Luckily, the girl from before rescued a confused Jacob. An invisible boy was with her. They introduced themselves as Emma Bloom and Millard Nullings. Emma was suspicious and held Jacob captive. She brought him to the children's home. There, he found it magically changed into the paradise from his grandfather's stories. It was full of peculiar children and the "wise old bird." This bird was actually the headmistress, Miss Alma LeFay Peregrine. She was named after the fast peregrine falcon.

Jacob met other peculiar children too. There was Bronwyn Bruntley, who had amazing strength. Claire Densmore was a little girl with an extra mouth on the back of her head. Olive Abroholos Elephanta could float. Enoch O'Connor could make non-living things move for a short time. Hugh Apiston had bees living in his stomach. Fiona Frauenfeld could make plants grow. And Horace Somnusson had dreams that showed the future.

Jacob was shocked by the place. Olive and Millard explained that they were in a time loop. This is a place where time goes backward every day. They relived the same day, September 3, 1940, over and over. Miss Peregrine made this happen. She is a special peculiar called an ymbryne. Ymbrynes can change into birds and control time. This time loop kept them safe from a bomb. It also protected them from hollowgast. These are scary, tentacle-mouthed creatures that eat peculiars.

Hollowgast were created by a bad experiment in Siberia. This experiment caused a huge explosion. Hollowgast are a big threat. If they eat enough peculiar souls, they turn into wights. Wights look like humans but have no pupils in their eyes. Wights want to gain power from peculiars. They also want to turn all hollowgast into wights to rule the world.

Soon, Miss Peregrine's old teacher, Miss Avocet, arrived. She was very sad because wights had kidnapped her own peculiar children. Miss Peregrine worried about the children's safety. Jacob was asked to report anything suspicious happening outside the loop. As Jacob and Emma spent time together, they started to like each other. Jacob also realized his own special ability: he could see the hollows, just like his grandfather. Other peculiars could not see them.

Miss Peregrine's fears came true. Sheep bodies started piling up, and Martin, a museum worker, was killed. Enoch, Bronwyn, Emma, Jacob, and Millard left the house, even though Miss Peregrine told them not to. Enoch used a sheep heart to bring Martin back to life for a short time. Martin told them a wight was on the island. But it was too late. A wight appeared behind them with a hollow.

Jacob was shocked to see that the wight was Dr. Golan. He was also Jacob's family's gardener and his middle school bus driver. Jacob refused Golan's offer to join him. He decided to stay with his friends. Golan sent his hollow after the group. Emma and Jacob split up from the others. After a fight, Jacob killed the hollow with sheep shears. They went back to the orphanage. But they found that Golan had kidnapped Miss Peregrine and Miss Avocet. He had locked the other children in the house.

Dr. Golan warned them not to try and rescue Miss Peregrine. He then left the time loop. But Millard, who was invisible, secretly followed him. Jacob and his friends followed Millard's tracks. They found Golan near a lighthouse, trying to catch a boat with other wights. They tried to save Miss Peregrine, who was stuck in her bird form. Millard was shot and hurt. But Jacob managed to kill Golan.

Just then, the other wights arrived. The children rescued Miss Peregrine, but Miss Avocet was taken away. They returned to the orphanage to find it destroyed. They now had to find the wights and figure out how to help Miss Peregrine. Jacob decided to stay with his friends. He went back to the present briefly to say goodbye to his father. He promised to return when his mission was done. Guided by a dream from Horace, they sailed off to find help.

Peculiar World and Beings

Peculiars: Special People

Peculiar people are also called syndrigast. This means "peculiar spirit" in an old language. They are a part of humanity with a second soul. This soul shows up in strange ways, like unusual abilities. These are called peculiarities. It's rare for peculiar children to be born to peculiar parents. The special gene often skips generations. This means there are far fewer peculiar people than normal people.

Ymbrynes: Time Keepers

An ymbryne (pronounced IMM-brinn) is a special kind of peculiar woman. She can change into different birds. She can also control and change time as she wishes. Ymbrynes are very important in the peculiar world. Their main ability is to control time. This lets them create a safe place for peculiars by looping a period of history. This loop can last forever. They often go into the present day to rescue peculiars who are in danger. They also look for those who don't have an ymbryne. The word Ymbryne means "revolution" or "circuit" in the Old Peculiar language.

Council of Ymbrynes: The Peculiar Government

The Council of Ymbrynes is the official government of the peculiar world. They make sure the time loops are kept in order. They also write and change laws regularly. And they decide what happens to those who break the rules. The members of the council are not named in the story.

Time Loops: Safe Havens

Time loops are the main part of the peculiar world. They are like towns or cities. They are specific places with certain dates. Together, they make a big and complex world that only peculiars can enter. Inside these loops, peculiars live forever without getting older. They also relive the same day over and over. It might seem like eternal youth, but time is actually paused. Many of Miss Peregrine's children are actually over fifty years old. But the loop keeps them looking and feeling like teenagers or small children. A loop must be reset every day. If it's not, it will break down. This would leave all the peculiars inside it exposed to the outside world.

Aging Forward: What Happens Outside a Loop

If peculiars stay outside their time loop for too long, they can't always go back to the present day. The time they avoided will catch up to them very quickly. For example, Miss Peregrine's former ward, Charlotte, left the loop. When Miss Peregrine found her two days later, Charlotte had aged thirty-five years. This unnatural aging made Charlotte very confused. She was sent to live with Miss Nightjar, another ymbryne. The same thing happens to objects taken out of time loops. Jacob took an apple back to his inn. By morning, it had rotted away completely.

Hollowgast: Empty Spirits

The hollowgast are monsters that eat peculiars. They were created by a terrible accident during a bad experiment. Miss Peregrine's two brothers led this experiment. Many people joined them, hoping to become immortal without needing time loops. Instead, it caused a huge disaster that destroyed half of Siberia. Everyone involved was thought to be dead. But their bodies became twisted and turned into animal-like creatures. Hollows are invisible to most people. Only a few, like Abraham and Jacob Portman, can see them. They also have large, tentacle-like tongues in their stretched mouths. It's thought they became hollowgast because they were aged backward to a time before their souls existed. Hollows have no special abilities and cannot enter time loops.

Wights: Human-like Monsters

If a hollow eats enough peculiar souls, it changes back into a human form. The only difference is that their eyes are completely white, with no colored part or pupil. Peculiars call these changed creatures wights. They don't have special powers. But they are very good at pretending to be normal people. They can use many different identities. They can even enter time loops. Wights spend their lives finding peculiars for hollows to eat. Once they spot a peculiar child, they will follow them, just like they followed Jacob to the island.

Main Characters

Peculiar Children

• Jacob Magellan Portman — A 16-year-old American boy and the main character. Jacob becomes very upset after seeing his grandfather die. He claims a monster from his grandfather's stories killed him. Everyone thinks he's crazy. His parents take him to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist tells Jacob's dad to take him to the Welsh island where his grandfather grew up. There, Jacob finds out that the stories about a magical orphanage, peculiar children, and monsters are real. He also learns that being able to see these monsters is a very rare peculiarity. Most people can't see them.
• Abraham Portman — Jacob's grandfather. He also had the special ability to see the monsters. He left Miss Peregrine's loop to fight in World War II and against the hollowgast. He promised to make a home in America for other peculiars. But he started his own family in the normal world and never went back for them. He still had to hunt hollows often. His family thought he was neglecting them. Abraham became a stranger to everyone. When he was old, a monster he had fought for so long killed him. The police thought he died from old age and a wild animal attack.
• Emma Bloom — A teenager living with Miss Peregrine. Her peculiarity appeared when she was ten. Her hands started to glow red and became very hot, making fire. Emma and Abraham had a romantic relationship. They kept in touch even when he went to war. But then he stopped writing. Years later, Abraham wrote back just to say he had married someone else. Emma was heartbroken. But she still felt sad when Jacob told her Abraham had died. At first, she was mean to Jacob. But their shared sadness for Abraham helped them form a strong bond.
• Millard Nullings — A young teenager who is invisible. This is a very rare peculiarity. He usually doesn't wear clothes to stay fully invisible. But Miss Peregrine makes him wear clothes at supper. He knows a lot about peculiar things. He likes to write down every detail of the day they live in.
• Bronwyn Bruntley — A young teenager with super-human strength. Bronwyn is also kind and a loyal friend. She respects Miss Peregrine more than the other children. She often reminds them of the rules. She is afraid of anyone getting into trouble. She only refuses to cooperate when she has to dress in a fancy, lady-like way. Bronwyn found out about her strength when she was ten. Miss Peregrine took her and her older brother Victor in.
• Enoch O'Connor — A young teenager who can bring the dead back to life. He can also make non-living objects move for a short time. He does this by using organs from other living things. Enoch was born into a family of undertakers. Before moving into time loops, he caused a lot of confusion. He often brought dead people back to life at his father's funeral home. He is the least liked of Miss Peregrine's children. The others don't like his selfish behavior, negative thinking, and love for violence.
• Olive Abroholos Elephanta — The second youngest after Claire. Olive is very cheerful and friendly. Her peculiarity makes her lighter than air, so she floats like a balloon. She can barely control it. She always has to wear heavy lead shoes or be tied down so she doesn't float away.
• Hugh Apiston — A teenager with bees living in his stomach. His peculiarity lets him talk to the bees and tell them what to do. He is in love with Fiona.
• Horace Somnusson — A young teenager who can have dreams that show the future. But these dreams are very rare. They are often nightmares that are so scary they can shock him. He can be a bit snobby. He loves fashion and is often seen in a suit and tie with a top hat.
• Fiona Frauenfeld — A teenager who has power over plants. Her peculiarity lets her control their life, growth, and movement. She has a strong Irish accent, but she rarely speaks. She has a close connection with Hugh.
• Claire Densmore — The youngest of Miss Peregrine's children. Claire has the strangest peculiarity: a second mouth with sharp teeth at the back of her head. It's hidden under her blonde curls. She is usually cheerful. But she becomes shy when she has to eat with others.
• Victor Bruntley — Miss Peregrine used to have more peculiar children. Many were killed by the hollowgast, including Bronwyn's older brother Victor. Like Bronwyn, Victor had amazing physical strength. He left the loop early on because he didn't like being trapped. This reckless choice led to his death. His body stayed at Miss Peregrine's home until his burial. Some children would sneak in and have Enoch bring him back to life for a short time.
• The Twins — Two short children who wear sacks over their heads with eye holes. Without their masks, they have pale gray, scaly skin with gray snake-like eyes and fangs. Not much is known about their personalities, except that they are shy and quiet. They only speak to each other. In the movie, they could turn a Wight into stone with a stare, like Medusa. In the book, they were believed to have a telepathic bond.

Ymbrynes: Bird Shifters

All ymbrynes have last names that match the type of bird they can turn into. For example, Miss Peregrine can turn into a peregrine falcon.

• Alma LeFay Peregrine — Miss Peregrine is a very skilled ymbryne and the headmistress of her children's home. She is a gentle woman who enjoys smoking a pipe. She loves the children she cares for, but she can be strict. She learned to use her peculiarity when she was very young, as a student of Miss Avocet. Miss Peregrine's loop is on the made-up island of Cairnholm, Wales, on September 3, 1940.
• Esmerelda Avocet — Miss Avocet is an old and wise woman from the mid-Victorian period in England. She taught most famous ymbrynes how to use their powers. She is seen as very important. Her loop was in Derbyshire on July 15, 1867. But wights and hollowgast attacked it. This forced her to flee to Miss Peregrine's loop.
• Miss Nightjar — Miss Nightjar takes care of peculiars who are difficult cases. One example is Miss Peregrine's former ward, Charlotte. Miss Nightjar's loop is in Swansea, Wales, on April 3, 1901. She runs it with Miss Thrush.
• Miss Finch — Miss Finch has an aunt who is also an ymbryne. Her aunt prefers to stay in finch form. Their loop is in London, but the date is not mentioned.
• Millicent Thrush — Miss Thrush has a loop in London and is the headmistress of a children's home there. She also helps run Miss Nightjar's special-care home.
• Miss Kestrel — Possibly an ymbryne from a long time ago. Enoch mentions an old story about her getting hurt in a road accident. This accident trapped her in the form of a kestrel for a whole week. Her loop collapsed before she healed. The location and date are not mentioned.
• Balenciaga Wren — Miss Wren is the headmistress of a place for peculiar animals. Her loop is in mainland Wales, in a much older, unknown time.
• Miss Gannett — Miss Gannett has a loop in Ireland, in June of 1770.
• Miss Treecreeper — Miss Peregrine mentions her name but doesn't remember where or when her loop is.

Non-Peculiars: Regular People

• Franklin Portman — Jacob's father. Frank is unemployed and an amateur bird expert. He volunteers at a bird rescue and pretends it's his job. He also spends a lot of time writing nature books, but he never finishes one. He always gives up halfway. He had a difficult relationship with his own father, Abraham, who was rarely around. Frank is very protective of his son. But he understands Jacob needs space to grow and learn on his own.
• Maryann Portman — Jacob's mother and Franklin's wife. She cares a lot about fancy things and what people think of them. She comes from a rich family that owns a drugstore company. While she loves her son and protects him, she worries more about their public image.
• Dr. Golan — Dr. Golan was one of the many peculiars who supported the terrible experiment that created the hollowgast. He became a wight. He is a licensed psychiatrist. To find out about Miss Peregrine's loop, he stalked the Portman family for years. He pretended to be their yard man, Jacob's middle school bus driver (Mr. Barron), and finally, Jacob's therapist.
• Malthus — Malthus was once a peculiar and an old friend of Dr. Golan's. He also joined the rebellion against the ymbrynes. He died because of the experiment and became a hollow. He now travels with Golan, eating peculiars as they find time loops. For unknown reasons, Golan let him kill Abraham before they could learn where Miss Peregrine's loop was. After that, Malthus watched Jacob day and night.
• Martin Pagett — Martin works part-time as a knowledgeable curator at a small museum on Cairnholm. The island isn't very famous, so they don't get many visitors. He becomes friends with Jacob. He tells him about Cairnholm's history and helps him learn how the children's home was destroyed. Martin accidentally played a key role in finding Malthus and Dr. Golan on the island.
• Oggie — Martin's uncle. Martin introduces him to Jacob to help him learn more about the destroyed children's home. Oggie is old and a bit grumpy but smart. He remembers the strange children and their quiet headmistress. He tells about the bombing in detail, sometimes talking about the weather or politics. He wanted to fight for his country but was too young. He just watched it all happen.
• Susan Portman — Frank's younger sister and Jacob's aunt. After Abraham died, she was going through his things with Jacob and Frank. She found Abraham's copy of The Selected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Abraham had written a short message to Jacob on the title page. When she gave it to Jacob for his birthday, a letter from Miss Peregrine fell out. Jacob found it by accident.
• Ricky — Described as Jacob's best and only friend. Their friendship is more like a deal: Jacob helps Ricky with his homework, and Ricky acts as Jacob's protector at school.

More Books in the Series

A sequel, called Hollow City, came out on January 14, 2014. This book starts right after the first one. Jacob and his friends run from Miss Peregrine's to London, which is called the "peculiar capital of the world."

The third book in the Miss Peregrine's series, Library of Souls, was announced in early 2015. It was released on September 22, 2015.

A Map of Days is the first book of a new trilogy. It is set in the United States and features the same main characters. It was released on October 2, 2018, by Dutton Books for Young Readers.

On January 14, 2020, the fifth book, The Conference of the Birds, was released.

In October 2020, it was announced that the sixth and final book of the second trilogy, The Desolations of Devil's Acre, would be released on February 23, 2021.

Other Versions

Graphic Novel

An original graphic novel version was made by Cassandra Jean and Ransom Riggs. It's called Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel. It came out in October 2013.

Film Adaptation

A movie based on the book was released in the United States on September 30, 2016. It was directed by Tim Burton. The screenplay was written by Jane Goldman. Eva Green played Miss Peregrine in the film. Asa Butterfield played Jacob, and Ella Purnell played Emma Bloom.

See also

In Spanish: El hogar de Miss Peregrine para niños peculiares para niños