Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes - Peter Nimble Dan Mata Ajaib (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
I liked the inventiveness of the eyes. I intensely disliked the characters' names (peg, tode, etc). I've read reviews about the high vocabulary level and violence may be inappropriate for children. For what children? People might be surprised by how much children like peculiar words. One of my students! Favorite words was effervescent. Why not provide rich language that fits with the fantastical tale? Haberdasher is eccentric and feels wonderful to say. Serpentine is evocative. Kids aren't dumb, so let's not play dumb with them.On violence. Sure, there are battles and I might edit bits if I was reading to my six year old. But an older child? How about acknowledging that people/creatures doe in war? I can't say I was bothered by most of the fighting, though I gave a gasp at one remarkable death.Overall, I enjoyed it. I read it while we were camping, so perfect for tucked in a sleeping bag. I felt like so,e of the plot movements were rushed therefore fuzzy (how did the ravens get to that spot? When did Sir Tode arrive?). I also thought the hint dropping became absurd. When the narrator must intervene, the writer needs to revise his strategy.3.5 This delightful fantasy has echoes of Joan Aiken, Phillip Pullman, and a little Diana Wynne Jones. Auxier's hero is a little blind boy, whose rough start in life forced him to survive by his wits and his other senses. He is in the servitude of the unpleasant Mr. Seamus, who teaches him every thief trick there is, and Peter is unexpectedly adept at all of them, but especially at picking any kind of lock. Then everything changes, and Peter is swept off to adventures and terrors the likes of which he could never have imagined. Auxier pulls unusual villains into his tale, but makes it work where other authors have failed, and keeps all the plot threads and action in perpetual motion. An impressive juvenile fantasy with appealing characters and unique and memorable elements. Peter is a great protagonist, and how many literary heroes do we encounter with a disability? 4th grade and up.
What do You think about Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes - Peter Nimble Dan Mata Ajaib (2014)?
What a cute kids book! Just the right amount of fantasy and adventure to make this a favorite.
—simox
A most excellent tale. Darker in places than I expected, but tempered with humor.
—fattah
