PlotOverview

AbouttheAuthor

Briefly,butusingtheentirespace,discusstheplot,
conflict,andrisingactiontosummarizetheplot.
Useyourownwords.

ThenovelMissPeregrinesHomeforPeculiar
Children,writtenbyRansomRiggs,isastory
narratedbyasixteenyearoldboywhoexploreshis
grandfathersbizarrepast.Theteenagersnameis
Jacob.Jacobhasregularlybeendelightedbyhis
grandfathersstories,thoughhashadatoughtime
believingtheyweretrue.Throughtheyears
growingup,Jacobcametofindoutthathis
grandfather,Portman,wasthemostinteresting
manintheworld.Jacobdreamedtobecomejust
likehisgrandfather:fightinginwars,traveling
aroundtheworld,workingincircuses,andbecome
bilingual.Asasmallboy,Jacobtoldhisgrandfather
thathewantedtobecomeanexplorer.Portman
inspiredJacobsdreamandhelpedJacobstudy
mapsandreadbooksaboutadventures.Butwhen
Jacobgrewolder,hisbeliefsabouthis
grandfathersstorieswerefading.Manyofthe
amusingtalesinvolvedtheorphanageinWales,
wheregrandfatherPortmangrewup.
Accordingto
hisgrandfather,theplacewasprotectedbyawise
hawkwhodisallowedmonsters,sickness,ordeath
toenter.Thechildrenwholivedintheorphanage
werepeculiar,Grandpasaid.Therewasagirlwho
couldfly,aboyinwhombeeslived,andtwoyoung
childrenwhocouldliftbouldersovertheirheadsas
iftheyweremadeofpaper.Jacobtoldhis
grandfatherthathewashavingatoughtime
believinghisstories.Portmanprintedphotosofthe
peculiarchildren.ThoughJacobthoughtthephotos
werefake,hebelievedhisgrandfather.Jacobs
fathertoldhimthatPortmansstorieswerenotlies.
Jacobsfathertoldhimthathisfatherlivedin
PolandduringWorldWarTwo,andescapedthe
Nazis.

Includeimportantinformationabouttheauthor.You
maywanttoincludewhatinspiredthem,other
workstheyhavewritten,significantlifeevents,what
timeperiodheorshewrotein,andhowthetime
periodinfluencedthewriting.

RansomRiggslikestotellstories.Heeithertells
storieswithwords,pictures,andoftenboth.He
grewuponafarmontheshoreofEastern
Maryland,andalsoinahouseonabeachin
Englewood,Florida.Riggsstartedwritingstorieson
anold,rustytypewriterwhenhewasayoungboy.
OneChristmas,Riggsgotacameraforapresent
andbecameobsessedwithphotography.This
startedhiscareer.

HistoricalContext

NovelNotes

MissPeregrines
HomeforPeculiar
Children

RansomRiggs

NigelMcGowan

Date:MArch29,2016

Backin2009,Riggsstartedcollectingold

snapshotsthathefoundatswapmeetsandflea
markets,andafterawhileitoccurredtohimthatthe
strangelookingpeopleinthephotoshelovedmost
mightfindtheirwayintoabook.Soheshowed
themtoabookeditorthathehadworkedwithand
Weclingtoourfairytalesuntilthepricefor
theeditorsuggestedthathewriteanoveland
believinginthembecomestoohigh(Riggs87).
weavethepicturesthroughthestory.AsRiggs

hadneverwrittenanovelbefore,hethoughthe
Ihadjustcometoacceptthatmylifewouldbe
wasalittlenuts,butRiggswasexcitedbytheidea
ordinarywhenextraordinarythingsbeganto
andwentofftocookupthestoryofMiss
happen(Riggs133).
PeregrinesHomeforPeculiarChildren.

Riggs,Ransom,JohnJ.McGurk,andDoogieHorner.
MissPeregrine'sHomeforPeculiarChildren
.
Philadelphia,PA:Quirk,2011.Print

EssentialQuotes

CharacterAnalysis

Theme

Identifyeachmajorcharacterinthenovel.
Describethemostimporttraitsthatcharacterize
thisperson.(
S
peech,
T
houghts,
E
ffectsonother,
A
ction,
L
ooks)

JacobPortmanprotagonistandnarratorofthe
story.Heisabletosee,talkto,andcontrol
hollowgasts.GrandsonofAbrahamPortman.Only
childofFranklinandMaryannPortman.

AbrahamPortmangrandfatherofJacobPortman.
APolishJewwhoescapedtheNazisduringWorld
WarTwo.

FranklinPortmanfatherofJacobPortman,and
sonofAbrahamPortman.

EmmaBloomoneofMissPeregrinespeculiar
children.Shecancreatefirewithherhands.

OliveElephantaoneofMissPeregrinespeculiar
children.Itistoldthatsheislighterthanair.

EnochOConnoroneofMissPeregrinespeculiar
children.Hewasabletoanimatethedeadforlong
periodsoftime.

Identifyandanalyzesomeofthesignificantthemes
inthenovel.

Themajor,mostimportantthemeofthestoryis

MotifsandSymbols

Identifyandinterpretsomeofthemajormotifsand
symbolsinthenovel.

EmmasAppleEmmagivesJacobanapplethat
foreshadowstheissuethatthepeculiarchildrenare
facing,andalsodisplaysthedifficultyofcomparing
trust.Trustisdisplayedgreatlythroughoutthe
thepresentwiththepast.
novel.JacobPortmanhastotrustthathis

MonstersthemonstersrepresenttheNazisthat
grandfathersstoriesarerealandnotatale.Trustis
killedAbrahamsfamily.Themonsterscanalso
alsoshownthroughEmma.Emmahastotrustthat representthefearsthattroubleJacobandtheother
children.

Jacobisnotafriendofthesocalledmonsters
Religionbetterdisplayedasfaith,Jacobwrestles
whenshetakesJacobtoMissPeregrineshouse.
withfaithwhentryingtodiscoverhisgrandfathers
past.Jacobfindsthehouseofthepeculiarchildren
AllofthepeculiarchildrenmustthentrustJacob
byhavingfaithinhisjourney.
whentheyallowhimtoentertheirhouseandfight
themonsterswithhim.Iftrustwasneverused,then
Jacobwouldhaveneverfoundoutthetruthabout
hisgrandparents.