A Map of Days: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, Book 4

Parents need to know that A Map of Days is the fourth installment in Ransom Rigg's popular Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series. The events pick up about six weeks after those in the third book, and reading the other books first will deepen the reader's understanding of the characters, events, and world of "peculiars." There are scary monsters that eat people; creepy, vintage photos to add eerie atmosphere; and violence involving magical abilities and real-world weapons like guns and tear gas. A beating is briefly described. Blood's mentioned a few times, and there are some brief descriptions of monsters and fantasy creatures eating people. Sexy stuff includes a teen couple who kiss and hold hands, and who are trying to work out their relationship. A few brief instances mention beer or brown liquor. Several minor characters are described smoking, and a few pictures show people with cigars. Miss Peregrine lights and smokes a pipe once. Fictional "Mother Dust" puts people to sleep for hours at a time. Positive messages, role models, even group unity are not as strong as in earlier books, as the young teens chafe against being treated like children and try to take matters into their own hands. But their actions come from wanting to do good and help others, and they model bravery and creative problem-solving.