Book Talk: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier 

(August 2011).

Picture if you will a newborn baby boy placed in a basket and left to sail the ocean alone. When he is finally rescued by sailors his eyes have been pecked out by a raven. The sailors kill the raven and turn the baby over to the local authorities. The baby is given a name- Peter Nimble-and nothing else, and sent into the world to fend for himself. He lives for a time with a mama cat and her kittens, until they are discovered and thrown into the ocean in a burlap bag to drown. Peter manages to untie the bag and make it to safety. Having nobody to care for him, Peter learns to survive on his own. Although he is an infant- and a blind infant at that- he starts his career as a thief. By the age of 3, Peter had become a true menace to society. His talents were discovered by Mr. Seamus- a beggarmonger (a man who trains orphans to beg and steal and turn their booty over to him in exchange for "food" and "shelter"). Mr. Seamus always wanted to become a thief- but he was too clumsy to follow his dream. When he met Peter, he decided to sell off his other beggars and train Peter to become an expert thief.  In fact, Peter became an expert at picking locks because Mr. Seamus locked all of Peter's meals inside an old sea chest- if he wanted to eat, he had to pick the lock.

When a mysterious haberdasher (a man who sells men's hats and ties and such)  comes to town, Peter's skills as a thief are put to the test. The boy steals a box of magical eyes from the haberdasher. The first time he touches the eyes, he knows that he must try them. He puts in the eyes and is instantly transported to a mysterious land. As it turns out, Peter had been summoned to help save The Vanished Kingdom. Using the fantastic eyes, he must set out on a fantastical quest where he befriends a part man, part kitten part horse creature, meets a dogfish bigger than a whale and gets stranded in the desert. I can't give away much more, because it will ruin the story for you- and you know I won't do that! But, I will tell you that you will read about swashbuckling, sword fighting, evil Kings, talking ravens and killer apes!

I can tell you that this is a quest that reminded me of so many great quests I have read- including The Wizard of Oz. Peter is a little bit like Dorothy who gets whisked away to a magical land where he must go on a journey to find the answers to his questions and to discover who he truly is and where he truly belongs. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy meets many memorable characters that help her along the way. Peter meets characters that help him on his quest as well (instead of The Cowardly Lion, we have Sir Tode)- and some that try to stop him from completing his quest (Instead of The Wicked Witch of the West, we have King Incarnadine).  And like Dorothy, what Peter was looking for might have been with him all along. (Instead of ruby slippers we have... um, can't tell you!)

This a fast paced adventure that will appeal to kids grades 4-8 (boys will devour this books, but girls will love it as well). I love a good adventure story, but what made me fall in love with this book was the storytelling that took place in it. Yes, all authors have a story to tell, but not all authors weave a story in the magical way that Mr. Auxier did here. As I read, I was transported to my favorite books- The Princess Bride, Peter Pan, The Hobbit, The Tale of Desperaux... The language in Peter Nimble is delicate and would roll off your tongue if you read it aloud to your child (which you should!). The narrator coaxes us through the story, and respects us enough as readers to not interrupt the flow of the story or condescend us the way some narrators can. In fact, I missed the narrator when he wasn't speaking directly to me!

When the book ended, I was not only left with the satisfaction a great story brings, but with the idea that each one of us is important and can make a difference in the world. The idea that we need to embrace our talents and be who we are- not what people want us to be. The idea that we can learn from our past. but our past doesn't define us in the present. And the idea that people need people to love and to love them- that family is a bigger treasure than anything you will find in a sea chest. Indeed, this is a book that could quite possibly steal The Newbery right out from under all of the other books I have read so far this year.

*The book includes art done by the author.

See also this great review of Peter Nimble by Betsy Bird (of Fuse8)

Book Talk: Warp Speed

My name is Marley Sandelski and pretty much get my butt kicked on a daily basis.  The kids at Rancho Rosetta Middle School are ruthless. I get punched, spit on shoved into my locker, chased and taunted and nobody does anything about it. If anyone stands up to the bullies, they will get killed. So, we just grimace and bear it. 

I use to be best friends with Standford- until he became a star jock. He completely sold me out. He doesn't even look in my direction any more. I hate him. The only people I can count on are the other geeks in AV Club, I mean Technical Sciences Class. We pretty much run this school- without us, there would be no way teachers could plug in their own DVD players. I can't wait for 6th period because I know that for that short while, I won't get beat up. 

Teachers have asked if I'm ok- even my mom and dad have asked. But, I just smile and say that I'm fine. Heck, my mom is blind and she even knows something isn't right. You can't get anything past her. She can see my misery better than the stupid principal of Rosetta Middle School. He is such an idiot- he thinks that bracelets that say "Be a buddy not a bully" will keep kids like me from getting pulverized. Duh. Now when I get my butt handed to me, the bully says- "Wanna be my buddy?" 

My best friend is Ramen- yes, Ramen like the noodles. I am stuck with him because we are both geeks, I guess. He's ok, except he has this very unhealthy obsession with Star Wars. I HATE Star Wars. I'm what you call a Trekkie. I can name all of the characters, episodes and quote lines from every show from TOS (The Original Series). I guess I rely on Star Trek to help me through life. Like if I need good luck, I carry my Captain Kirk action figure with me. After school when I need to decompress, I put on my Spock ears. If I am in a sticky situation, I ask myself "WWSD?" (What would Spock do?)  Star Trek has gotten me through some rough times. I even keep my own Captain's Log where I record everything that occurred during the day.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse in my life, they do. My AV Club teacher, Mr. Jiang is out for 2 weeks and all the AV Club kids are stuck taking Home Science Class. (On the upside, I met the most beautiful girl in the world, and I may be in love).  The richest kid in town threatens to close down my family's theater, The Rialto if I don't do his homework. The Gorn have really stepped up their butt kicking and now chase me through town every day. And- the track coach has seen me run and wants me to join the track team. Did I mention that the new kid Max wants to narc out all the bullies on my behalf? I don't think I can take much more of this. What WOULD Spock do? I wish I knew. 

Warp Speed is by Lisa Yee (F YEE)
I think we have a Newbery contender on our hands here folks.
From my perspective, not Marley's, this book should be required reading for all kids going into jr. high. My heart ached for Marley. I was disgusted by the ignorance of the adults (except his parents) in this book... I thought "Am I this blind? Can I be making a difference?" I must confess that this is the first book of the Rancho Rosetta books that I have read. I just returned from the library with Millicent Min (I thought Marley and Millicent would make a good couple.) I would pair this book with Surviving Brick Johnson by Laurie Myers.


Now- to the kids who might be reading this blog: It is not ok to bully anyone. You might have your own problems, but preying on other kids won't help. And, if you just stand by and watch a bully without helping, you are just as bad as the bully. If you are being bullied, or abused (Like Digger) you need to find someone you can trust. A teacher, a friend, a librarian... someone that you can ask for help. We can't help you if we don't know what is going on. Trust us- most of us are a little brighter than the teachers in Warp Speed... at least I hope we are. If you want to do some reading on bullying, try these sites:
Stopbullying.gov
Dealing With Bullies
It's My Life from PBSKids
For Parents: Helping Kids Deal With Bullies 
And, you can always email me at butcher.kelly@iccsd.k12.ia.us

Book Talk: Wild Life

I love Cynthia DeFelice. My kids love all of her books- especially Weasel and The Ghost of Fossil Glen. I was mesmerized by Signal. So, when I got Wild Life in the mail, I couldn't wait to read it. I was very torn as I read this novel. I don't like guns, I don't like hunting and I sure don't like the idea of a kid hunting with a gun. That being said, my own issues aside, I can name about 12 boys at Lemme School who would love this book, as boys, as outdoorsy kids and as hunters themselves. Because of those boys, I finished the book. If not for the boys, I wouldn't have read it- the scene of Erik cleaning his kill just about put me over the edge. (But I could read The Hunger Games without batting an eye- go figure).  But, more on that later. 

Wild Life by Cynthia DeFelice  (F DEF) is the story of Erik, a 6th grade boy who has just learned that both his mother and father will be leaving for Iraq in 4 days. He wants to stay with his best friend and neighbor, but must move from New York to North Dakota to live with grandparents he doesn't really know. Not much is said about the departure, except that Erik didn't take it very well. He seemed more upset about not getting to hunt that weekend than he was about his parents going to war and being gone for 6 months. May be it's a boy thing, but I needed the character to show more emotion. I don't think boys reading this book will be bothered by his lack of sadness. (Girls would though).
The night before Erik leaves for North Dakota, he overhears his parents discussing his grandparents. He hears his mom say that she was glad to get away from them  as fast as she could. When he arrives in North Dakota, he understands why. He will be living in the middle of nowhere with no phone, no computer and only 3 tv stations. He will have to take the bus to a school that is in a different town and all of the shops and stores are boarded up. And, worst of all, his grandfather, Big Darrell is cold and mean. Erik feels like he isn't welcome or wanted by Big Darrell. Even Oma, his grandmother seems to cower to Big Darrell. When his grandparents show him to his room, they keep him from entering the door at the top of the stairs. Erik realizes that this room must belong to his Uncle Dan who died during The Vietnam War.

The next day while Big Darrell is out harvesting beets and Oma is in town with friends, Erik decides to explore the farm. His first stop is the room at the top of the stairs. When he looks in, he sees that it is fact is Dan's old bedroom and it looks just as it must have looked in the 1970's. He see photos of Dan, his military uniform and in the closet, hunting gear and a shot gun. Erik heads outside to check out the land when he sees an animal enter the barn. Upon further inspection, he sees that it is a hunting dog that has gotten into a tussle with a porcupine. The poor dog's muzzle and face is covered in quills. Erik immediately calls Oma who asks the local vet to come help the dog. 

When Big Darrel comes home that night, he tells Erik that the dog must go- that he said no more dogs, ever. Erik can't stand this thought and so the next day, he decides to run away. He goes into Dan's room and packs the gun and shells and puts on all of Dan's camo gear. He takes the dog, who he named Quill, and leaves. He has always been fascinated with pioneer life and is excited to live off the land. When his food runs out, he realizes that he has to hunt for his own food. With the help of Quill, he is able to hunt pheasant and rabbits. He becomes very observant of the land and nature as he travels with Quill. 

On a cold and snowy night, he finds shelter in what looks to be an abandoned barn. Just as he is falling asleep, he hears a car door slam and then footsteps approaching. A man recognizes Erik from the television and tells him that he will take him home and collect his $5000 reward. Erik is shocked that his grandparents would offer that much money to save him. Erik comes up with a plan to evade the man and get back to the farm on his own.  I won't spoil the ending- so you will have to read it to see how things turn out between Big Darrell and Erik. And you will see if Erik gets to keep the dog. I will say that the dog does not die...so don't worry!

About the hunting aspect of this book. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions about hunting, and I respect those who do it responsibly. You are reading the blog of the girl who watched Bambi and stood up in a packed theater and yelled "WHAT HAPPENED TO BAMBI'S MOMMY?!?!" I think that movie left a mark on me. As if reading my mind,  Ms. DeFelice writes on page 120, just as Erik is cleaning a pheasant:

"Holding the limp, warm body that had been so full of life just a moment ago, he  was flooded with a powerful remorse. This bird had hatched from an egg, been raised by his mother, and survived despite brutal weather and the sharp, watching eyes of hawks and owls and coyotes. Now it was dead, and he had killed it. The enormity of this settled upon him and the exhilaration of the moment before mixed with regret. ...he couldn't help feeling sorrow about it, even as he was grateful for the meat and proud of his and Quill's accomplishments." (page 120)

Because of page 120, I am able to hand this book to any child in my library without having to question my own opinions. The book teaches a powerful lesson about the connection that all living things have. And in a way, that I'm not sure the kids will get, parallels the death of the pheasant to that of his Uncle so many years ago.