A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Reviewed by Lori

A Map of Days

Title: A Map of Days

Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Book 4

Author: Ransom Riggs

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 147358

Description: Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.

Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud it


Why I Read It: Continuing on with the series. 

Notes: Jacob's peculiar friends have returned.   And not only have they returned they're here to stay.  With the collapse of their time loop they have somehow also managed to escape time itself.  Now able to live in the present they leave Devil's acre and visit Jacob in Florida.  It's hard to believe that it's only been a few months since Jacob's grandfather has passed and now Jacob has time to look further into his grandfather's history; who he was and what he did.  But Jacob discovers things he didn't expect.  A peculiar America is very different to the peculiar Europe he has just helped save, and he needs to get a lay of the land and a grasp of the days.  When he finds out that his grandfather helped "uncontacted" peculiars he decides to follow in his footsteps and with the help of some of Miss Peregrine's peculiar children he travels across several time loops in America trying to help his grandfather's former partner "H" rescue a new peculiar who may be more important than any of them realize.   This book started well for me.  I was glad to see Jacob and his friends back together again.  But now that the dust has settled from his previous adventure the door is open to a new one.  This is definitely the beginning book in a new adventure that continues where the old one left off and I'm not sure it necessarily needed to be done.  I was quite satisfied with the ending of the first trilogy.  But the popularity of the novels I think has pushed forward more in the story.  Jacob discovers quite a lot of new things about his grandfather.  He is perhaps not the hero he has been made out to seem.  And Jacob's relationship with Emma comes under fire.   I have always been a little mystified as to whether Emma really loves Jacob or just his connection to his grandfather.   I did like that it touched on the apparent omniscient power of the ymbrynes and how there is a need for regulation.   It seems fitting in today's political climate to question the powers of authority.   And it is interesting to see the various historical days of America.   The next set of stories I think will be different enough to the previous ones that I will keep reading the series.  I have a feeling that we will see Jacob become more independent and work toward a more inclusive peculiardom. 

Recommended Readers: Grade 7 and Up. 

Themes: Friendship, Family, History, Time, Politics, Power struggles, Orphans, Racism, Supernatural, Quests and Journeys

Cross-Genre Links: 
Movie: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Movie: The X Men
Song: Time by the Alan Parson's Project
Song: Don't Turn the Lights On by Chromeo
Websearch: 1920s Dustbowl, 1930s New York
Poem: The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats

Inquiries and Activities: 

  • What is happening when the book opens?  Why do you think adults have such a hard time understanding peculiars?  Discuss fear and prejudice in regards to the us vs. them mentality and how that might link to America's past and even the present.
  • Jacob's grandfather kept a lot of things secret.  Do you think he was correct to do so?  Why might he have done it?  Do you think he did a disservice to Jacob by not helping him understand his peculiarity?
  • How is peculiardom different in America as opposed to the peculiardom we have learned about in the first three books?   
  • Do you think ymbryne's like Miss Peregrine should have all the power and be allowed to make all the decisions?  Miss Peregrine continually calls her wards "children" and yet many of them have lived long enough to be considered elderly.  How might they resent not be consulted?  Do you ever feel resentment, discrimination or ageism because of your age?
  • What time period of history would you want to visit and why?  Where would you go?  Who would you talk to?  What would you do?
  • Why do you think it has now become illegal to help "uncontacted" peculiars?  Do you agree or disagree as to the appropriateness of this law?  Who does it benefit and who does it hurt?   

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