Synopsis:
Peter Nimble, who is a 10 year old blind orphan, is the greatest thief of his time. On an ordinary evening of thievery, Peter finds a mysterious man with a cart. He ends up stealing from this man a box that contains an unexpected treasure. The small box contains three pairs of eyes. Unable to resist the temptation, Peter tries a pair of the eyes and is immediately transported to a mysterious island. On this island he is presented with a intriguing quest. A quest that needs his particular expertise. He is commissioned to be the reluctant hero who will save the Vanished Kingdom from its doom. Peter does not believe that he is the right person for the job. He doubts there is anything a 10 year old blind orphan could do that would save a kingdom. Eventually, Peter is persuaded to embark on the adventure of saving the Vanishing Kingdom. What our reluctant hero does not realize is that he is the key to the freedom of the Vanishing Kingdom. This journey is part of his destiny.
My Thoughts:
Jonathan Auxier is one of my favorite story tellers in children’s literature. “Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes” is an adventure that will keep the attention of any reader at any age. This has been our family’s current read aloud and all my kids from teenagers to my littles are captivated by the story that the author is weaving. This is a story of overcoming obstacles even when the odds are stacked against you. This is a story about having faith and walking out the adventure that is set before you. This is a story about finding your destiny that you didn’t even know existed.
Peter Nimble learns that the gifts he was given were exactly the gifts needed to bring freedom to his world. I love how the author gave us front row seat into Peter Nimble’s world. This book also had delightful and humorous characters that won’t easily be forgotten. For example, Peter’s loyal sidekick is a humorous knight who unfortunately encountered an evil curse. Therefore he is half horse and half cat. His name is Sir Tode and he is definitely part of the comical relief in this book. My kids have outright laughed at Sir Tode’s antics. This is an excellent choice for a read aloud with your kids. It has been one of our favorite books that we have read as a family. They have also made an excellent audible version for those long car rides if you prefer listening to your stories. My family is planning this fall on listening to the sequel, “Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard” on our way to different events this school year. Jonathan Auxier has definitely made me a fan of his work. This is a must read for all ages.
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Living the Adventure 