I recently finished reading Jonathan Auxier‘s Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes aloud to Larrabee. It’s a long fantasy adventure–just right for lazy summer evenings.

When the story begins, ten-year-old Peter Nimble is a blind orphan forced into a life of thievery by his cruel master. One day he steals a box from a mysterious haberdasher. The box contains three pairs of magical eyes: gold, onyx, and emerald.

The gold eyes transport him to the Troublesome Lake of Professor Cake. There, he learns that he’s been chosen for a quest. Sir Tode, a knight trapped in the body of a cat and a horse, is to be his companion. His only clue is a message in a bottle–a call for help that may come from the Vanished Kingdom.

So, the two sail away into a marvelous adventure. Larrabee enjoyed trying to predict the plot’s many twists and turns. He also appreciated the battle scenes.

Thank you to Anne-Marie for the recommendation!