From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Gardener, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher-a box that contains three pairs of magical 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 to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need. Along with his loyal sidekick-a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat-and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny.
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[Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware that they make the very best of thieves]***
(@scholasticuk, 2 January 2012, first published 1 August 2011, 320 pages, paperback, #popsugarreadingchallenge 2020, a book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement, borrowed from @GlasgowLib)
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Oh, this was a treat to read, an absolute treat. I found myself falling deep into the story from the first page and it held me tight until I reached the end and all of Peter's secrets and his true identity had been revealed. I liked the little black and white illustration at the start of each chapter hinting what was to come. I loved the way the book was narrated, like a wise old professor was telling a beguiling bedtime story. This has all the trademarks of great children's fiction - magic, adventures, scheming adults and kids too smart for their own good. I was enthralled with this book.