A Map of Days

September 15, 2018
The victory of Jacob and his fellow peculiars over the previous episode's wights and hollowgasts turns out to be only one move in a larger game as Riggs (Tales of the Peculiar, 2016, etc.) shifts the scene to America.Reading largely as a setup for a new (if not exactly original) story arc, the tale commences just after Jacob's timely rescue from his decidedly hostile parents. Following aimless visits back to newly liberated Devil's Acre and perfunctory normalling lessons for his magically talented friends, Jacob eventually sets out on a road trip to find and recruit Noor, a powerful but imperiled young peculiar of Asian Indian ancestry. Along the way he encounters a semilawless patchwork of peculiar gangs, syndicates, and isolated small communities--many at loggerheads, some in the midst of negotiating a tentative alliance with the Ymbryne Council, but all threatened by the shadowy Organization. The by-now-tangled skein of rivalries, romantic troubles, and family issues continues to ravel amid bursts of savage violence and low comedy ("I had never seen an invisible person throw up before," Jacob writes, "and it was something I won't soon forget"). A fresh set of found snapshots serves, as before, to add an eldritch atmosphere to each set of incidents. The cast defaults to white but includes several people of color with active roles.Not much forward momentum but a tasty array of chills, thrills, and chortles. (Horror/Fantasy. 12-14)

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November 1, 2018

Gr 6 Up-Riggs continues the adventures of Miss Peregrine's Peculiars and brings them to a brave new world: the present-day U.S. After surviving the events that took place in Library of Souls, the children arrive in Florida and begin a crash course in normalization by navigating modern malls and grocery stores. Clues left by Jacob's grandfather Abe are soon discovered and that sets the group on a dangerous covert mission across American Peculiardom. Readers new to the series will notice similarities between the Peculiars and Professor X's mutant X-men, and the challenges they face can serve as starting points for discussions on timely topics, such as immigration and acceptance. As in the previous books, found snapshot photographs illustrate the text, offering a refreshing confirmation that the Peculiars are among us-and have been all along. VERDICT Riggs's latest installment is a fast-paced and compelling addition to this unique mythology. Recommended for all libraries.-Billy Parrott, New York Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2018
Grades 8-12 Though the wights were defeated in Library of Souls? (2015), there is much work to be done to rebuild the peculiar world. Prime among these tasks is learning to blend in with normals, so Miss Peregrine and her crew have come to Jacob, in modern-day Florida, for lessons. These have barely begun when they stumble upon a secret bunker in Abe's old house, filled with information about his career hunting hollows in America. This sparks an unshakable desire in Jacob to follow in his grandfather's footsteps, catapulting his clandestine mission to save Noor, a powerful peculiar teen, with Emma, Millard, Enoch, and Bronwyn. Peculiar America has a Wild West flavor, ruled by gangs and lawlessness. Danger dogs their heels as they follow clues to Noor and travel through time loops where racism and prejudice still reign. Riggs reinvigorates his best-selling series, expanding the peculiar world and history, while drawing parallels to contemporary hot-button issues. As always, old photos add atmosphere (and some color this time), and the tease of a prophecy will have readers on tenterhooks. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This series is a big deal! Get a bunker's worth.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)