Lexile: 890
Author's Website
"Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, always told him stories about the mysterious orphanage where he grew up and the peculiar children who lived there. There were stories about an invisible boy, a girl who could hold fire in her bare hands, a boy who could single-handedly lift a boulder, and a levitating girl who had to wear special shoes just to keep her from floating away. A wise old “bird” named Miss Peregrine looked after them all. Jacob always thought the stories were too weird to be true. But after Abraham dies under strange and sinister circumstances, Jacob discovers some old photographs and letters that seem to match up with his grandfather’s tall tales. With his father, he travels halfway around the world to try and find the orphanage and tell his grandfather’s childhood friends how he died. But when he finally finds the house, it is in ruins – and has been since World War II. Or has it? Where are Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children? Were they ever even real? How did Abraham really die … and is Jacob going to be next? This is a spooky, magical page-turner that includes lots of real photographs discovered by the author." -From Nancy Keane's Booktalks - Quick and Simple by Amy V. Pickett, Ridley High School Lexile: 890 Author's Website
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"A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob on a journey to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive." -From the Publisher, Yen Press
Book Trailer "Listen, My Grandchildren.... You asked me about this medal of mine. There is much to be said about it. This small piece of metal holds a story that I was not allowed to speak for many winters. It is the true story of how Navajo Marines helped America win a great war.... I must remember not only the great secret with which I was trusted, but also all that happened to me and those like me."
For several decades after WWII, this story was classified by the United States. Just recently was this story allowed to become public. During WWII, the Navajo were used as code talkers using the Navajo language as the code. Ned Begay, a Navajo who joined the Marines at the age of sixteen, played a very important role in the war against Japan. In the past, the Japanese were able to break every code the Marines used to communicate. However, they were never able to break the code of the Navajo language. This novel is based on the story of the brave, young Navajo Native Americans working as code talkers during WWII. Code Talker Book Trailer Reading Level: 6.4 |