Plot Overview

The novel directly leaves off of where novel one

of Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children
ends. Jacob Portman and his squad full of
peculiars flee the island that they once lived on
because they are now being chased by wights.
Miss Peregrine would be the one who could fix
things and protect the others since she is an
ymbryne (able to change loops and alter time).
However, Miss Peregrine is not able to be of
service because she was turned into a bird.
The peculiars are on an intense mission to get
Miss Peregrine back to her original form
because if they don't work quick enough, she
will stay a bird. Along their journey, the
peculiars encounter wights (monsters that are
after the peculiars) and must use their abilities
and try to destroy the much more powerful
wights. They also come in contact with several
loops; but most importantly, they find a loop that
was hinted at in a short story and in it there was
peculiar animals and deep wisdom. One of the
peculiar animals mentioned that their ymbryne
is the only uncaptured one, but is on the run
(no one really knows where she is). This
ymbryne may be able to help Miss Peregrine
transform back into human form but they must
find her. They set out to London but on their
way they encounter several hollows, enemies
and evils. But they also find allies like the
gypsies and circus performers who understand
the peculiars current situation and do
everything they can to assist the kids. They
need to act fast because Miss Peregrine's form
is slowly inching it's way toward no return.
Dramatic choices are made that wage life and
death between the peculiars but these
sacrifices are being made for the overall wellbeing of everything living in the loops.

About the Author

Ransom Riggs grew up in the outskirts of
Maryland and later moved to a house near the
beach in Florida. Throughout his adolescence,
Ransom would venture into writing little stories on a
typewriter. When he was given a camera, Ransom
indulged himself completely in the photography
world and this lead to his passion for film and movie
making. He started off just filming at-home skits and
short videos; but after receiving a degree in English
at a small university, he decided to take a more
serious shot at film and enrolled in a film school at
USC. After graduating with a small stack of
Ransoms most proud films, he found that no one
really sought interest in them; regardless of the
measures for attention he took. Instead, he took this
hardship as a sign to try something else. He began
writing for a blog and soon enough companies
reached out to him and he began to write bigger
pieces that eventually led up to Miss Peregrines
Peculiar Children. His interest in film and
photography are very evident in his published work.
In Hollow City, there are many eerie photos placed
throughout the book to evoke a better
understanding of what fantasy creatures he is
describing.

Novel Notes
Hollow City
Ransom Riggs
Alyssa Rodriguez
May 17, 2016

Essential Quotes
Add two quotes that capture the essence of the
novel. Be sure to cite the quotations properly.

"Peculiarities are a bit like muscles - the more

you exercise them, the bigger they grew
(Riggs 172).
From the mouths of our elderly comes a
fountain of wisdom (222).

Historical Context
The novel begins in September of 1940 and
takes place in several loops, which are alternative
worlds that may differ in time period and creatures.
The protagonist, Jacob Portman, left his family and
normal world to join the peculiars but since the
technology back then wasnt so developed, there is
no way of finding him, so his parents came to the
conclusion that he died.

Add Work Cited Here:

Riggs, Ransom. "Columbia College." Columbia
College. N.p., 2014. Web. 17 May 2016.

Character Analysis

Jacob Portman: Jacob Portman is the

protagonist in this novel. He is the most
human-like of the peculiars. His peculiar
power is the ability to detect hollows and
predict future events. Hollows come in all
levels of aggression and can take on any
form, so Jacobs ability to detect creates
more probability of survival for the group of
peculiars. He is a realist but also a romantic
(with Emma) and tries to guide the group to
safety the whole way.

Ms. Peregrine: She is one of the very few

ymbrynes left. She is capable of altering the
loops; whether it's a time period shift,
atmosphere adjustment or balancement
between wights and peculiars. However,
her powers are compromised because
someone casted a spell on her to remain a
bird.

Addison: Addison is the only English

speaking peculiar in the peculiar animal
loop and resembles a very sophisticated
dog with glasses and the ability to walk on
hind legs. He provides the peculiars with
information regarding his own ymbrynes
whereabouts so that they can reach her and
possibly get help for Miss Peregrine.

Gypsies: When the peculiars first

encountered the gypsies, they attempted to
trick them with an abandoned orphan act
to earn a ride in their trailer. Things turned
south quickly, but then the gypsies found
out that the children were peculiars and
welcomed them warmly.

Themes
Survival/ Battle of Time: Miss Peregrine's very
imperative life is more at stake with every minute
that passes. The peculiars take matters into their
own hands and sacrifice their sanity, health and life
to make sure Miss Peregrine gets the help
necessary for her to revert back to being her normal
self.
Love: Romantic tension between Jacob and Emma
is very obvious to detect. They constantly keep
each other going and almost create a cycle effect of
I'm being brave for you, which essentially helps
the whole group.
Escape/perseverance: Whether it's finding a way to
escape Miss Peregrine's curse or literally escaping
captivation repeatedly, the peculiars put in all of the
effort they have and continue to use it until they get
out of whatever catastrophe that struck them.

Motifs and Symbols

Motifs:
Birds:
Miss Peregrine, an ymbryne, was shifted into a
bird as part of a curse. There are also birds
who deliver updates to the peculiar animal
loop about their own ymbrynes whereabouts.
In this novel, birds function as witnesses, they
can only observe without any real opinion (like
Miss Peregrines condition that worsens with
time).

Symbols:
Miss Peregrine's home:
This was once a place where all peculiars could
come and feel completely safe but recent wight
raids made the peculiars desert it. This
symbolizes the starting point of where the
blooming peculiar race once was a long time
ago, but the raids symbolize the instability and
scarceness of a decent peculiar being; let
alone, an alive one.
Jacobs age:
Compared to all of the other peculiar children,
Jacob is by far the youngest. He is the only one
who would be affected by the time period
switches in loops because of his familys
placement in the real world loop. Without Miss
Peregrine's help, itd almost be impossible to
return back to his parents because it'd take
close to 80 years and by then they would be
deceased. His age symbolizes the very unique
attributes he holds in comparison to all of the
other peculiar children.