Tales of the Peculiar (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #0.5)

Once again, Ransom Riggs gives readers a unique, beautifully written book that is sure to become a modern classic. “Authored” by Millard Nullings, a former resident of Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, ten fable-like tales comprise his Tales of the Peculiar. Each one highlights a lesson of moral or ethical nature; each one features a Peculiar.

The Splendid Cannibals cautions against envy and greed; it may be the most violent of the tales. The Fork-Tongued Princess tells of the danger in valuing physical beauty above all else and of the freedom that forgiveness affords. The First Ymbryne is the story of how Ymbrynes came to be; it should have been the first entry in Tales of the Peculiar. The Woman Who Befriended Ghosts is a story of seeking friendship and kindred spirits. Colobolo reminds readers to accept their innate nature rather than attempting to alter it to conform to society. The Pigeons of Saint Pauls is a story showing that having a stake in something makes a difference to the affected individuals. The Girl Who Could Tame Nightmares tells of good intentions producing disastrous results and of using that lesson to benefit others. The Locust points out how vital a parents unconditional love is in the life of their child. In The Boy Who Could Hold Back the Sea, a boy who was tricked into using his Peculiar powers for unlawful, nefarious purposes begins to understand that his well-intentioned attempt to help may also have harmful results. The Tale of Cuthbert is a story of life-long friendship and loyalty.

Characters are relatable and very “human”. Their hopes, fears, and dreams are those we all hold. Their situations and personalities draw the reader into the story and create, in the reader, a feeling of empathy.

Andrew Davidsons illustrations resemble woodcut engravings like those of Albrecht Durer. Each story is introduced by one full-page drawing; there are no illustrations within a story. The illustrations enhance the readers impression that Tales of the Peculiar is a book of vintage fables.

The construction of Tales of the Peculiar is an important factor influencing the readers perception of the book. The gold-and-white design of the end papers, the ribbon marker, and the wheat-colored page numbers and footnotes strengthen the vintage feel. Two factors detracted from the physical presentation of Tales of the Peculiar. Instead of a dust jacket, a slick white paper containing information usually included in a dust jacket was glued to the back cover. Further, the wheat-colored ink used for the footnotes made them difficult to read.

Ransom Riggs is one of my favorite authors; his writing is interesting, unusual, and very literate; the “Peculiars” are unique and quirky. Tales of the Peculiar was a joy to read. It will take its place in my library beside the Peculiar Children volumes.

These short stories fall under the categories of folk tales and fairy tales. Some are grizzly; some have happy endings. The overall conceit is that peculiars find happiness when they find other peculiars. The most charming is The Woman Who Befriended Ghosts, the story of a girl whose continues to remain friends with her dead sister. After the sister goes away, the girl seeks haunted houses, but she is unable to find ghosts who want to be friends. The Splendid Cannibals is a tricky cautionary tale. The First Ymbryne provides essential information for understanding the background of the Miss Peregrine series, and The Pigeons of St. Pauls is a tongue-in-cheek tale that provides essential history of London, England. As with all short-story collections, some are more successful than others, but some are unforgettable. I have to add that I resent reviewers categorizing Riggs’ books as teen novels. They are for all ages.

I absolutely LOVED this book to pieces.

I admit that I’m a huge fan of young adult fantasy and sci-fi. And I loved this one.

I’m a stickler for reading in order so I started with this one. The hard cover was really nice and it made me feel like I was truly discovering an old treasure.

The author really integrates you into the world of all Peculiarness. And I love that.

The stories were funny, fascinating, amusing, comical, etc. And I never felt like anything was too inappropriate for kidz, unless you consider cannibalism to be too inappropriate.

I think I was way more into it that my daughter and my younger cousins, lol.

Children and adults will both love this. It is truly an easy read, and sooo enjoyable.

Why I Think Boys May Enjoy This

For anyone who read the rest of the Miss Peregrine series, this book is a delight. Much like the Fantastic Beasts spin-off for Harry Potter, Tales of the Peculiar brings to life a book referenced inside the stories for us to read as its own book. The fables inside this collection are intended to teach lessons to peculiar children (not the normal ones like us), with stories ranging from lessons on greed, humility, and compassion the same way collections like Aesops Fables teach the rest of us.

I am a huge fan of the footnotes and in character storytelling aspect of things. Millard Nullings, the invisible boy from the original trilogy (and well known historian among the peculiar children under Miss Peregrines wing) is the curator of the anthology. The in character aspect adds an extra level of flair, in the same way that Lemony Snicket as an in-character narrator adds to uniqueness of the Series of Unfortunate Events books or Bartimaeuss footnotes in The Amulet of Samarkand.

My favorite story was probably the one about the cannibals, which was the lead story in the collection. It really set the pace for both the specificity of peculiar issues the children who would be told these stories would need to know. There is also some great background and tie-ins with the events of the books, and that is always fun! Definitely worth a read for fans of the Miss Peregrine books!

Content/Appropriateness

They are stories written as fables for peculiar children so, as such, they are more than appropriate for regular children. Granted, regular children dont often have to deal with unique powers or being able to regrow limbs, making them ideal candidates for a symbiotic relationship with cannibals. There are similar lessons throughout, sometimes landing the protagonist of the story in a bad spot, but nothing that would preclude children of any age from being able to enjoy the stories as they are told.

Rating

5/5 Giant Cartoon Mallets from Toonopolis, The Blog’s Books for Boys Review

Another amazing book by Ransom Riggs. If you are a Miss Peregrine fan, you will definitely enjoy this book. Written by Millard, one of Miss Peregrine’s children, it takes the reader back in past to learn about the very first peculiars. Every story has a message that can be taken to the real world.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member