Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gripping, creepy sequel time-travels to 1940s London.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 17 kid reviews
Kids say that this sequel is an exciting continuation of the original story, showcasing strong female characters and promoting valuable messages about bravery, friendship, and individuality. While some reviewers noted the presence of violence and mature themes, they generally agreed that the engaging plot, unique characters, and eerie visuals made it a worthwhile read, especially for fans of the first book.
- strong characters
- engaging plot
- some violence
- great messages
- unique visuals
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Following the dramatic conclusion of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Jacob, Emma, and the other strangely powered kids are outside their time loop, on the run in 1940s England from the "wights" and "hollows" bent on taking over the world. Along with them is their guardian and headmistress, Miss Peregrine, who's stuck in her bird form after being captured by evil beings. Restoring her requires the aid of one of her fellow "ymbrynes," but they've all vanished. The time-and-space-hopping quest to heal Miss Peregrine takes the kids to London, which, between the Blitz and the villains, has become the HOLLOW CITY and puts them and those who befriend them in terrible danger. Meanwhile, Jacob grapples with the conflict between his new world, with monsters to fight and a girl he loves, and the one he left behind, where his parents are frantically worried about him.
Is It Any Good?
Imaginative and gripping, Hollow City keeps the pages turning and raises a steady stream of ethical dilemmas. When is a selfless act the right thing to do, and when is it destructive? What happens when you can't do right by one person you love without harming another? As the second installment in a series, it manages the challenges of moving the story along while leaving plenty of conflict and unresolved issues for future books. The strange antique photos, along with the typical creepiness of monster tales, make for a level of weirdness that may be too intense for some readers and will have huge appeal for others.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the ongoing appeal of time-travel stories. If you could travel to another era, would you? What if it meant you couldn't come back?
With Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, author Ransom Riggs pioneered the notion of developing a story from a collection of odd antique photos. Do you think the photos enhance the story, or would it work just as well without them?
How do you deal when you have different obligations to different people and they come into conflict? How do you decide what's right?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Quirk Books
- Publication date : January 14, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 17
- Number of pages : 400
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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