Parents' Guide to

Tales of the Peculiar

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Gore, sweetness in kids' tales from Miss Peregrine's world.

Book Ransom Riggs Fantasy 2016
Tales of the Peculiar Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

FEC
FEC Parent of 5, 8 and 10-year-old
June 12, 2019
age 12+

Brilliantly witty spooky tales

These stories are similar to the brothers Grimm in the sense they are wonderfully dark. Many times there are brutal and gory parts but mostly it is fine. It is also very eitty and funny which is a distraction from the hardship the characters face.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In the life of an epically successful series, there often comes a collection of childhood stories that helped make the characters what they are. Now it's Miss Peregrine's turn with TALES OF THE PECULIAR, a collection of stories ("edited" by a series character) essential to the upbringing of children with deep secrets and unusual powers. One tale, concerning an ill-fated relationship between peculiars and cannibals, teaches the wisdom of being content with what you have. Another tells of a man who seems to be turning into an island. There's also an origin tale of the first "ymbrene" -- bird-women like Miss Peregrine who create loops in time to protect peculiars -- and lots more pearls of wisdom in strange, sometimes sad, and often sweet stories.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Fans of the Miss Peregrine series will love this collection of "childhood tales" involving time travel and unusual powers, but if you've somehow missed the craze, this isn't a bad place to start. Author Ransom Riggs offers the collection of tales no peculiar child should be without -- while warning all others to stay away, making it all the more irresistible.

In contrast to the original series, which used lots of strange vintage photographs to help tell the story, Tales of the Peculiar begins each installment with an evocative black-and-white image by Andrew Davidson.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the trend of books claiming to be the stories read by fictional characters. Do you think reading Tales of the Peculiar helps you understand the characters better, or is it just more fun in a well-drawn fictional world?

  • Some Tales of the Peculiar involve alternative endings, especially when the narrator doesn't like the original one. What stories can you think of that would be a whole lot better with a different ending?

  • Why do you think time travel is such a popular theme in storytelling?

Book Details

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