BKMT READING GUIDES
Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs
Paperback : 416 pages
5 clubs reading this now
2 members have read this book
Bonus ...
Introduction
Read the sequel to the New York Times #1 best-selling book. The movie adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is now a major motion picture from visionary director Tim Burton, staring Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, Samual L. Jackson, and Judi Dench.
Bonus features:
• Sneak preview of the third Peculiar Children novel
• Exclusive Q&A with Ransom Riggs
• Never-before-seen peculiar photography
Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.
September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom.
Editorial Review
An Amazon Best Book of the Month, January 2014: In Hollow City, Ransom Riggs continues the story that mesmerized readers in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. With their island home compromised, and Miss Peregrine trapped in her bird state, Jacob and the other peculiars flee into the larger world and find themselves in war-torn 1940’s London. On those broken streets, with "blacked out windows staring like lidless eyes," Jacob learns to trust himself, finds comfort in belonging, and falls over the precipice into love. As in his earlier novel, Hollow City is filled with eerily fascinating vintage photographs, and like a seasoned magician Riggs seamlessly incorporates them into a story already so well established in many ways that such a feat seems remarkable.--Seira WilsonExcerpt
We rowed out through the harbor, past bobbing boats weeping rust from their seams, past juries of silent seabirds roosting atop the barnacled remains ofsunken docks, past fishermen who lowered their nets to stare fro- zenly as we slipped by, uncertain whether we were real or imagined; a procession of waterborne ghosts, or ghosts soon to be. we were ten children and one bird in three small and unsteady boats, rowing with quiet intensity straight out to sea, the only safe harbor for miles receding quickly behind us, craggy and magical in the blue-gold light of dawn. our goal, the rutted coast of mainland wales, was some- where before us but only dimly visible, an inky smudge squatting along the far horizon. ... view entire excerpt...
Discussion Questions
1. At the end of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, the children are starting out on a new, hopeful adventure. Though Hollow City begins where the previous book left off, what has changed about the children’s outlook? Do they still have hope?2. Enoch tends to be the antagonist within the group. Do you think Enoch is pessimistic or realistic?
3. Why do you think the hollows and wights chose to pose as Nazi soldiers? How does this element add to their malicious presence in the book?
4. The children spend the entire book running away from hollows while trying to make their way to London. Did you think running was the best plan, or should they have tried to stand and fight, or simply hide?
5. Enoch repeatedly voices the worst-case scenario. Does doing so harm or hurt the group’s progress? Is it better to keep spirits high by sugarcoating the truth or to be completely honest about the situation and prepare to face it?
6. The Gypsies live separately from the rest of society, much like the peculiar children. What other similarities do you notice between the Gypsies and the peculiars?
7. The children’s stories of their past are mostly sad, especially Emma’s. How would you react if your friend or family member suddenly developed peculiar powers?
8. What did you think about Jacob’s eventual decision to leave the peculiar children? What decision would you have made in his place?
9. Hollow City ends with a spectacular cliffhanger. What do you think will happen in the next book? How will Jacob’s newly discovered powers affect the story?
Book Club Recommendations
Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.
Book Club HQ to over 88,000+ book clubs and ready to welcome yours.
Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more