by Jonathan Auxier
Amulet, $16.95, 382 pages
In this one of a kind adventure, a young blind boy discovers courage and friendship in a strange and wild world. Although Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes gets off to a somewhat confusing start, the story quickly snaps into focus and becomes difficult to put down. In a dreary port town, the blind orphan Peter Nimble is forced to live a life of crime and misery, but when he steals a box containing three pairs of magical eyes, he begins an incredible journey which transforms his life forever. Horse-man-cats, traitorous clockwork, and armies of ravens are only a few of the unusual things Peter encounters in author Jonathan Auxier’s unique tale.
Instead of sight, most of the descriptions in this book are based on sound, smell, touch, and taste. By using very little visual imagery, the book immerses the reader in Peter’s blindness and gives the story a very distinctive voice. The book’s quirky humor and encouragement of traits like self confidence, perseverance, and tolerance also make it stand out. A well crafted fantastical journey, this story will pull readers in with its raw and undiluted inventiveness.
Elizabeth Goss