Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Friday, August 8, 2014

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier...

How I Heard About It:  There has been lots of conversation on Twitter about a book called The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier.  I had to see what all the talk was about so I went to purchase the book.  I found out that he had an earlier piece of fiction so I bought both books.  I decided to read his first book and then I would get to The Night Gardener.  I'm glad I read this book because it was fantastic.

What It Is About:  Peter begins his life all alone.  He is blind and not cared for.  A not-so-nice man finds him on the streets and brings him into his world of theft, lies, and no good.  Peter's life with this man is miserable, but at this point he doesn't have many other options.  One day while out stealing goods for his "master", he comes across a street performer who intrigues Peter.  He notices a special box and Peter must have it.  He steals it and finds what he thinks is six eggs inside.  When he comes across this street performer again, he learns that these are not eggs at all, but three-pair of special eyes.  Peter's life is changed dramatically and an adventure of a lifetime begins.  He is able to get away from the evil master and begin a journey that most people only dream about.  His companion becomes a knight that is trapped inside of a cat and horse body.  They journey together on a mission for the street performer.  They cross the high seas, deserts, and find themselves in a very interesting and different type of kingdom/castle.  There they meet an array of interesting and strange characters both human and animal.  The kingdom is ruled by an evil king where no children are allowed to live their lives and the adults are under the spell of the kind.  Peter and the Knight make it their mission to help save all of these children.  As they do this, Peter learns quite a bit about his past, and his destiny.  

What I Thought Of It:  I absolutely loved this story.  From the moment I met Peter, I fell in love with him and wanted him to have the best life possible.  The adventure of the story was non-stop and full of many twists and turns.  Jonathan Auxier is an extremely creative writer and spun a wild and fun tale for Peter and his "pals".  Although it was a story with a crazy adventure, there was a definite underlying message about life and learning who and what you are meant to be.  This book really had it all.  

Who Should Read It:  This is a longer novel at 381 pages.  The story would make for a wonderful read aloud, but would take a long time to get through.  If a young reader was to tackle this book, they should be in grades four or higher.  It would be a perfect read for a students in fifth or sixth grade, but I know of some former fourth graders that would eat this story up.  It definitely needs to be in every classroom library.  I'm now excited to read his second book and see what all the hype is about.  Happy Reading!

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars 



No comments:

Post a Comment