![]() Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books. Portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small The review copy was kindly sent by Jonathan Auxier and Abrams Books. Entice kids by showing them this fantastic trailer for Peter Nimble: ![]() Want to know more? Head over to the website for Peter Nimble. This would make a great read aloud (either at home or in class) for kids who love fantasy. Auxier's writing style is complex and he uses complicated vocabulary, but he builds such vivid scenes with strong characters and clear action that children are pulled through. There is so much to think about within this book - she's been able to sink really deeply into the story, asking herself questions, wondering and predicting as she goes along. One of the highlights of my fall has been talking with a student each week as she's been reading Peter Nimble. Young fantasy fans will love the suspense, the action and the climax in this enthralling book. But most of all, I loved Auxier's writing, the way he carefully leaves hints about Peter's quest and identity, but just enough so that I guessed what was happening just before it happened. I loved the world Auxier has created, Peter's determined character, Sir Tode's wit, and the final climax. Peter and Sir Tode quickly find themselves launched on an epic quest to rescue a vanished kingdom, traveling by sea, across desert and underground. Peter befriends Sir Tode, a bewitched knight who is half-cat, half-horse the pair set out to solve a riddle that is a desperate call for help. Putting a set into his own eyes, Peter is suddenly whisked away to a magical land with knights, evil rulers, and a mysterious cry for help.Īuxier has created a exciting debut, with elements of magic, adventure, companionship and suspense as Peter battles against all odds. But Peter’ wretched existence takes a complete turn when he steals a box containing three pairs of mysterious eyes. Seamus, who makes him steal for his supper (yes, do think of Dickens’ Fagin). Despite the fact that he is blind, he can sense his surroundings, pick locks and pocket treasures better than any other thief. At an early age, Peter learns the careful art of thievery, necessary for his survival. It’s just what you’d expect if a horde of angry apes is fighting to the death against a horde of loyal, magnificent ravens in a kingdom that had vanished but has now resurfaced….Available at your local library, favorite bookstore, or AmazonĪbandoned as an infant, Peter Nimble has always known how to fend for himself. The tone regarding violence is very matter of fact, and there is not a lot of graphic description. In some ways, it’s reassuring to know that bad guys (who are really, really bad and have just crunched someone up to eat him/her) also get their fair shrift that war is bloody, but healing tears can sometimes wash that blood away and that when right triumphs in the end, it is often at a cost. ![]() Note for concerned parents: there is some striking violence in this book. There’s another striking Narnia reference at the end, but I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun. All in all, this is just what a great children’s fantasy novel should be–or, a very, very good start. The final pair of Fantastic Eyes is reserved until the end of the book suffice it to say that they are a perfect fit for Peter’s new role in the kingdom of HazelPort.Īuxier must have grown up reading the greats–there is much in this book that reminds me of wonderfully told tales, great authors, and wildly inventive persons/places/things. It calls to mind Pinocchio (dogfish anyone? the notion of a “real boy” finally at the end), great battles in which the underdogs miraculously triumph (Helms Deep comes to mind), Peter Pan (not the least of which reminders include a prominent fishhook in action and the title character’s name), Oliver Twist (poor chap taken in by master thief), anthropomorphic animals with noble or ignoble hearts (too many to name here, but the feel of Narnia comes to mind),…. Peter and Sir Tode have quite the series of adventures on their quest towards Peter’s destiny sometimes they even use the Fantastic Eyes (one pair allows them to transport immediately back to the previous place the eyes saw, for example). Through a strange turn of events, jumpstarted by Peter’s theft of a box of magic pairs of eyes, Peter finds himself on a magical quest along with Sir Tode–a knight turned into part cat/part horse. No one knows his parentage, and the theory is that ravens pecked out his eyes as a baby. We meet Peter Nimble as a thief working on behalf of his harsh master. Recommended For: Middle grades, ages 10-12 (especially lovers of long, intricate fantasies!) Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes: A Peter Nimble Adventure by Jonathan Auxier. ![]()
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