Peter Nimble & His Fantastic Eyes

The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives. With Auxier’s exquisite command of language, The Night Gardener is a mesmerizing read and a classic in the making.

Praise for The Night Gardener

STARRED REVIEWS

"Lots of creepiness, memorable characters, a worthy message, Auxier’s atmospheric drawings and touches of humor amid the horror make this cautionary tale one readers will not soon forget."

--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Storytelling and the secret desires of the heart wind together in this atmospheric novel that doubles as a ghost tale."

--School Library Journal, starred review

"Auxier achieves an ideal mix of adventure and horror, offering all of it in elegant, atmospheric language that forces the reader to slow down a bit and revel in both the high-quality plot and the storytelling itself."

--Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"All proper scary stories require a spooky, menacing atmosphere, and Auxier (Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes) delivers the goods with his precise descriptions of the gothic setting and teasing hints of mystery and suspense."

--The Horn Book Magazine

Summer 2014 Kids' Indie Next List

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.
Be sure to read the companion book, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard.
Praise for Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
"Auxier has a juggler's dexterity with prose that makes this fantastical tale quicken the senses."
-Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

“I absolutely loved this book…As soon as I read the opening lines of the book, I was hooked.” – WIRED’s Geed Dad blog

“Auxier has a juggler’s dexterity with prose that makes this fantastical tale quicken the senses.” – Kirkus

“The fast-paced, episodic story, accompanied by Auxier's occasional pen-and-ink drawings, is inventive, unpredictable, and--like its hero--nimble.” – Publishers Weekly

“Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is as delightful a magical story as readers ages 9-14 will hope to find. Wholly captivating.” – The Wall Street Journal’s Bookshelf

“In his debut novel, Auxier writes a charmingly well written story with a dark edge and entertaining twists in language and plot to capture and keep the attention of even the most reluctant reader.” – Library Media Connection

Awards and Honors:

2011 ABC New Voices Project Choice

2011 BookPage Best Book of 2011, Middle Grade

A mesmerizing read and a testament to the magical power of storytelling, The Night Gardener is a spine-chilling fable in the tradition of Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe.

Sophie knows little beyond the four walls of her father’s bookshop, where she repairs old books and dreams of escaping the confines of her dull life. But when a strange boy and his talking cat/horse companion show up with a rare and mysterious book, she finds herself pulled into an adventure beyond anything she has ever read.