Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

The Vanished Kingdom, Book 1

By: Jonathan Auxier

Narrated by: Michael Page

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been forced into a life of crime. One fateful afternoon, Peter steals a mysterious box that contains three magical pairs of 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 beyond the known world and rescue a lost kingdom from its treacherous ruler. With the help of the Fantastic Eyes and some unlikely friends, Peter embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to save a people in need - and to discover his true destiny.

©2012 Jonathan Auxier (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Jonathan Auxier’s strange and inventive debut, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, is a beautiful adventure told in a dashing and assured voice. It’s Little Nemo in Slumberland meets Oliver Twist. I enjoyed it tremendously.” (Audrey Niffenegger, author of the best seller The Time Traveler’s Wife)

good story for young but eager readers

Would you listen to Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes again? Why?

I would play it again if the kids wanted to listen to it again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

They liked one of the ravens, whose name I can't remember now.

Which scene was your favorite?

The kids really liked the ending when everything finally started to sort out and we found out some secrets about Peter Nimble's past.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

The story is definitely not for older kids, as it has serious logic gaps --for example, at one point ravens are "flying out of the faucets" or something like that, and there were many other instances where the facts just didn't make sense. However, my kids (6 and 8) didn't notice, or didn't mind when they did catch it. They had a lot of fun with the story.

enchanting story!!

this was a much more enchanting story than I originally thought it would be. I downloaded it because I thought my kids would like it, but I ended up listening to the whole thing by myself instead! it wasn't their style ....probably would be loved by most boys or heroic girls, but my earthy girly girls just wrinkled their noses and told me that it wasn't *real* enough for them.

Such a fun adventure!

This is the type of book I remember forever. My girls, 9 & 12, absolutely loved this book. The perfect amount of mystery, adventure, and lessons through Peter and Sir Tode’s adventures. Thank you for writing such a wonderful story!

THIS IS THE BEST AUDIOBOOK I'VE EVER LISTENED TO!!

I LOVED EVERY SINGLE WORD OF THIS BOOK AND MICHAEL PAGE IS THE BEST NARRATOR!!!!

fun read for children

children who enjoy fantasy will enjoy this book. it's a bit predictable for grown-ups but the clues are engaging for kids

My favorite audio book to date!

The author's story style is C. S. Lewis meets Roald Dahl with a little Planet of the Apes just to keep you on your toes. The narrator of this creatively witty story made the voices far better and more entertaining than I could have thought up. Loved every minute!

Wow!

This was excellent! All my kids loved it. Great narration as well.

Enjoyable listen but not for the youngest kids

I did enjoy this bookn and for much of it, I was set to recommend it for the whole family. While it is written for the middle grade reader, but I found the last 1/4 a bit too violent (though who knows what is considered violent these days) and several characters too menacing. Like so many books of its genre, almost all adults are bad and a threat to children. The monsters and bad guys are very creepy.

Peter Nimble is a charming character, though things do come a bit too easily, considering he has no eyes. While enhanced senses can do many things, he does seem to move around in each scene with little regard to the setting.

One of the best readings by Michael Page I have heard. I find some of his books sound too much alike but here he is spot on with the characters.

An Entertaining Tale!

Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes is a charming, sometimes appropriately frightening and even gruesome children's tale. The author is willing to take the book to some of the dark places adults don't always want to believe great children's fiction should go and in doing so, with both wit and originality, he creates genuine drama. The book certainly owes a debt to similar tales of the fantastic that have come before it yet from it's premise to it's conclusion, it has a personality all it's own. It's as clever and resourceful as Peter Nimble himself.

Michael Page's reading is absolutely superb.

Loved!

7 year old son loved this book! Kept his attention for an entire 7 hour drive!