Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

The afternoon before the first extraordinary event, Jacob is building a replica of the Empire State Building out of boxes of adult diapers at the store where he works—until Shelley, the manager, explains that the sale is on a different brand than the one Jacob is using. Annoyed that Shelley told him the wrong brand to use, he starts over and sends the tower tumbling. Jacob knows that Shelley would have fired him on the spot—he has been trying to get fired all summer—but she can’t fire him because his uncles own the store. And Jacob can’t quit, because working at Smart Aid as a first job is a family tradition, leaving him and Shelley at an impasse.

Just as Shelley reacts, someone comes on the PA system explaining that Jacob has a call coming in. Jacob goes to the employee lounge and picks up the phone. On the other line, Grandpa Portman frantically asks where his key is. Jacob is confused about what his grandfather means, and Grandpa Portman explains that the monsters are after him after all these years; he needs something to fight them with.

This isn’t the first time Grandpa Portman has sounded like this—he’s been declining mentally for some time. But this summer, the monsters Grandpa Portman invented are starting to haunt him, becoming far too real. Jacob’s parents are thinking of putting him in a nursing home. Jacob tries to calm his grandfather, explaining that he killed the monsters in the war. Jacob’s grandfather disagrees, warning Jacob not to come home or else he’ll be in danger. Grandpa Portman once again states worriedly that he has to find his key.

The key opens a locker in Jacob’s grandfather’s garage, and it contains a large number of guns and knives. His grandfather loved them, frequently going on hunting trips. He sometimes even slept with them; Jacob’s dad has a photo of Grandpa Portman sleeping with a pistol in his hand. Jacob’s dad explained that he did this because, after the war, he never truly felt safe. But now he’s becoming paranoid, so Jacob’s father took the key, worried about letting Grandpa Portman access the guns. Jacob lies and says he doesn’t know where the key is, but Grandpa Portman figures that Jacob’s dad took it.

Jacob calls his dad to explain what happened. Jacob’s dad asks him to check on Grandpa Portman because he can’t get off work. Jacob’s dad volunteers at a bird rescue and is an aspiring nature writer. He can only afford to call these “jobs” because Jacob’s mom’s family owns a chain of drugstores. Jacob assures his dad that he can stop by the house, hoping that despite the increasing frequency of these incidents, his parents won’t put Grandpa Portman in a nursing home.

Jacob tells Shelley he has a family emergency and calls his friend Ricky for a ride. Ten minutes later, Jacob finds Ricky outside, smoking on the hood of his car. They’re friends as part of an “unofficial brains-for-brawn trade agreement.” Jacob is the “brains”—he helps Ricky with his English homework—while Ricky, the “brawn,” helps Jacob not get beat up at school. Ricky is Jacob’s best friend, but only because he is Jacob’s only friend.

As Jacob and Ricky drive home, Jacob worries about Grandpa Portman, wondering if he might be streaking naked in the street or waving a rifle around. They get lost in Jacob’s grandfather’s neighborhood, where the houses all look the same, until Jacob recognizes a few landmarks and finds his grandfather’s street. As they drive to the end of the street, Jacob notices one of his grandfather’s neighbors, who is watering his lawn. Jacob sees with a shock that the man’s eyes are completely white—he had not realized that his grandfather had a blind neighbor.

Jacob rings his grandfather’s doorbell, but no one answers, so Jacob retrieves a spare key from a nearby bush and tells Ricky to wait out front. When Jacob enters, he sees that the house looks like it’s been vandalized. Jacob understands that his grandfather has really lost his mind. Jacob searches the house but can’t find his grandfather, until he sees a beam of light shining at the edge of the woods behind the house. When Jacob finds a flashlight on the ground near the woods, he envisions nightmare scenarios of his grandfather being eaten by an alligator.

Jacob calls for Ricky, who comes around the side of the house and immediately notices a slice in the screen door. They wonder if an animal might have done it, and Ricky fetches a gun from his car. As Ricky is doing so, Jacob feels inexplicably compelled to walk into the forest, led only by instinct. He trudges through thick vines and roots, following a recently made path.

Suddenly, Jacob sees his grandfather face down in the bushes, his legs sprawled out and his arm twisted. His shirt is soaked with blood and he’s missing a shoe. Jacob thinks he’s dead but then sees that he’s breathing. Rolling his grandfather over, Jacob sees in shock that his grandfather’s face is pale and there are gashes across his stomach. Jacob calls out to Ricky, spotting the letter opener in his grandfather’s hand; he was clearly trying to defend himself with it. Jacob attempts to lift his grandfather but is unable, so he simply waits for Ricky.

While Jacob waits, Grandpa Portman starts mumbling, shifting between English and Polish. He warns Jacob to go to “the island” where he’ll be safe. Jacob doesn’t understand, but he agrees. Jacob’s grandfather tells him to “Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave.” He talks about September 3, 1940, “Emerson,” and “the letter.” As his grandfather dies, Jacob tells him he loves him.

Just then, Ricky arrives and, seeing the scene, begins to panic. Ignoring him, Jacob lifts the flashlight and for one moment sees a face with dark eyes, rotten flesh, and several eel-like tongues. Jacob shouts, and the thing disappears. Ricky fires off a few shots, but he doesn’t get a view of the thing. Jacob can hear Ricky talking, but his voice is far away and Jacob blacks out.