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Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 16, 2013. Filed under: , , , , ,
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Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Published by: Quirk
Our source: Complimentary Copy from the Publisher

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

A horrific family tragedy sends Jacob, 16, to a remote island off Wales, to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where he finds unusual old photographs. The children, one his grandfather, were more than peculiar, perhaps dangerous, quarantined for good reason - and maybe still alive.

Our thoughts:

I found this to be wonderfully strange and very creepy. I loved the idea of being able to go back to another time period. My favorite part of the book though was the pictures and how Riggs has tied these very odd photographs into his story. I found both the story and the photography to be very creative and entertaining.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is Riggs's first novel and I loved it. It's so full of adventure and fantasy that I didn't want it to end. Riggs's second novel of Miss Peregrine's peculiar children titled Hollow City is slated to come out in January 2014 and I can't wait. I' looking forward to not only the tale continuing, but also some more great photos.

We would recommend this to:

Fans of fantasy, horror and fiction of all ages, anyone looking for a good Halloween read

Review: When We Were Strangers

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 11, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt
Published by: William Morrow
Our source: Our local library

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

Even after her beloved mother's passing, 20-year-old Irma longs to stay in her Abruzzo mountain village, plying her needle. But too poor and plain to marry and subject to growing danger in her own home, she risks rough passage to America and workhouse servitude to achieve her dream of making dresses for gentlewomen. 

In the raw immigrant quarters and with the help of an entrepreneurial Irish serving girl, ribbon-decked Polish ragman and austere Alsatian dressmaker, Irma begins to stitch together a new life . . . until her peace and self are shattered in the charred remains of the Great Chicago Fire. Enduring a painful recovery, Irma reaches deep within to find that she has even more to offer the world than her remarkable ability with a needle and thread.

Our thoughts:

Set in the late 1800's, Irma Vitale leaves her home in the beautiful village of Opi, Italy and immigrates to the United States. The story explores Irma's passage to America aboard the Servia, but also her journey to womanhood.

  When Irma leaves Opi she is young, poor, and very naive. A stranger in a new land with few skills, this gripping tale tells of Irma's journey to find housing, work, an education, but also deals with much more complex issues such as abortion and death.

 Many of us are the strangers at some point in our lives. Whether it is going off to college, moving to a different area, or simply changing jobs, we find ourselves in a situation were all of our past skills are irrelevant. Sometimes I wonder if these circumstances help us to become resilient enough to forge ahead and achieve our goals?
I have recently also read Schoenewaldt's other novel, Swimming in the Moon and I loved both books. She is a fantastic story teller and I look forward to more of her works.

We would recommend this to:


Fans of historical fiction, coming of age stories

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