Suggestions for Additional Discussion Topics?

If you would like to discuss any elements of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children that are not covered in the discussion questions below, please leave a comment to this post or email us at jdlsummitbranch@gmail.com.

The Future for Miss Peregrine's Home

Does the end satisfy? Are loose ends tied up....or left hanging? This is the first book of a planned series. Will you read future installments? Where do you think Riggs will take his readers next? (from LitLovers).

The After in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Some readers contend that the second half of the book does not hold up to the first. Were you surprised by the direction the novel took? Were you disappointed? How did you feel about the "after" portions of the story?

Inconsistent Voice in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children?

Some readers have complained about the inconsistency of the narrative voice, that it was perhaps too sophisticated for a young boy, even an adolescent? Do you agree, or disagree? Does the narrative voice change during the course of the novel? (from LitLovers)

Miss Peregrine's Home as a Hero Quest Story

In what way can this book be seen as a classic quest story—a young hero who undertakes a difficult journey and is transformed in the process? Do you see parallels with other fantasy works involving young people? (from LitLovers).

Photographs in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

According to Ransom Riggs, the photographs featured in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children were old snapshots that he had purchased at flea markets and swap meets. What effect did the photographs have on how you experienced Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children? Did they contribute to the atmosphere of the book? (question taken in part from LitLovers)

We welcome any suggestions you might have for improving our book discussion group. Also, please let us know what titles you would like to see on this site. Feel free to leave a comment below, or email us at jdlsummitbranch@gmail.com. Thanks so much for your feedback!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

As a kid, Jacob formed a special bond with his grandfather over his bizarre tales and photos of levitating girls and invisible boys. Now at 16, he is reeling from the old man's unexpected death. Then Jacob is given a mysterious letter that propels him on a journey to the remote Welsh island where his grandfather grew up. There, he finds the children from the photographs--alive and well--despite the islanders’ assertion that all were killed decades ago. As Jacob begins to unravel more about his grandfather’s childhood, he suspects he is being trailed by a monster only he can see. A haunting and out-of-the-ordinary read, debut author Ransom Rigg’s first-person narration is convincing and absorbing, and every detail he draws our eye to is deftly woven into an unforgettable whole. Interspersed with photos throughout, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a truly atmospheric novel with plot twists, turns, and surprises that will delight readers of any age. (review from Amazon.com)

About the Author (courtesy of Amazon.com):

Ransom Riggs grew up in Florida, where he spent his formative years making silly movies with his friends in their various backyards, snorkeling, and complaining about the heat. He studied English at Kenyon College and film at the University of Southern California. He lives in Los Angeles. He makes films you can watch on his YouTube page: www.youtube.com/ransriggs. He enjoys traveling to exotic lands and complaining about the heat. He would like to thank you for reading this short biography.

Welcome to the home of the Jackson District Library-Summit Branch Book Discussion Group! This group is open to the public--anyone may join the discussion and may invite others to join. There is no official enrollment or membership; new participants are always welcome!

How it Works:

Once a month, we will add a post under the "Our Current Book" tab above. It will include a brief description of the work, and a short biography of the author. We feature each book for four weeks.

In the sidebar at the right, we will alert you to next month's title so that you have plenty of time to reserve a copy. The sidebar also contains the beginning and end dates for each particular book discussion.

At the beginning of the third week, we will post questions for discussion under the "Discussion Questions" tab. We encourage everyone who reads the site to participate in the discussion. Each discussion question will be added to the site as a post. To join the discussion, simply add a comment to the relevant post (or reply to a previous comment). Please note: all discussion comments within this group are moderated by the Summit Branch. While we encourage spirited discussions, comments that are off-topic or offensive will not be published. Please read through the guidelines below. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at jdlsummitbranch@gmail.com

Guidelines:
1. Be respectful of the other participants. Achieving an open dialogue may require challenging the ideas of a book's author or of the other participants in the group, but please do so in a respectful manner.

2. Keep foul/offensive language to a minimum. Comments that contain objectionable or unnecessarily antagonistic language will not be published.

3. Participate. This is intended to be a discussion group, so get involved!

4. Stay on topic. To keep the discussion group organized, please post comments that are relevant to the content of that particular question. If you would like to discuss an aspect of the book that is not addressed in our selected questions, please email us at jdlsummitbranch@gmail.com and we will create a new question.

5. Help us improve! If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for improving the group, please email us.

The Fault in Our Stars

What did you think of The Fault in Our Stars?

Introduction to The Fault in Our Stars

 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

"In The Fault in Our Stars, John Green has created a soulful novel that tackles big subjects--life, death, love--with the perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion. Hazel is sixteen, with terminal cancer, when she meets Augustus at her kids-with-cancer support group. The two are kindred spirits, sharing an irreverent sense of humor and immense charm, and watching them fall in love even as they face universal questions of the human condition--How will I be remembered? Does my life, and will my death, have meaning?--has a raw honesty that is deeply moving." --Seira Wilson (review courtesy of amazon.com)

About John Green (excerpt from johngreenbooks.com)

"John Green is the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and The Fault in Our Stars. He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He was 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s books have been published in more than a dozen languages.

Green’s book reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review and Booklist, a wonderful book review journal where he worked as a publishing assistant and production editor while writing Looking for Alaska. Green grew up in Orlando, Florida before attending Indian Springs School and then Kenyon College."