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Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Review by Chris Singer

About the author:

Jonathan Auxier, raised in Canada, now lives with his wife in Los Angeles, where he works as a screenwriter. This is his first novel. You can visit him online at TheScop.com.

About the book (from the publisher):

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher—a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need. Along with his loyal sidekick—a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat—and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny.

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My take on the book:

I had two thoughts after finishing my reading of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. One, I can’t wait to tell my kidlit friends at the Corvallis Public Library about Peter Nimble, and two, Peter Nimble is going to be the first chapter book I read aloud to my daughter.

I was amazed to learn that Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is Jonathan Auxier’s first book. It’s an absolutely fantastic and imaginative adventure story full of fantasy, mystery, suspense and lots of surprises sure to captivate middle readers.

I really enjoyed Auxier’s use of the 3rd person for his narrative, which will remind adult readers of Charles Dickens, Roald Dahl and C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. I was thoroughly entertained by the witty narrator and the pacing of the story is just perfect. It’s not so fast-paced that you feel like you’re just glossing over the details and finer points of the story in order to hurry towards a triumphant conclusion; yet there’s not one slow moment in the plot that might bog down or discourage younger readers.

While the elements of fantasy will certainly captivate readers, I think it’s the characters which solidify this book’s place as an instant classic. Peter Nimble is the classic hero who comes from nothing to become something. Although blind and orphaned from almost birth, Peter has become the best thief in the world. For Peter, becoming a thief was about survival, and the only way to make the best out of his difficult life. Teachers and young readers can have terrific discussions about the moral implications and dilemmas presented by Peter’s characterization. Peter’s blindness is also a metaphor throughout the story for issues involving faith and