With his "enchanted cat-horse-man creature" sidekick, Peter ventures off on his journey. When he puts on the first pair, he is transported to another world entirely where he learns his quest: to rescue a long vanished kingdom from a horrible, evil king who just so happens to be an imposter to the throne. He happens upon a traveling haberdasher (hat salesman) and steals a box which he later discovers holds three pairs of magical eyes. Peter Nimble is a ten-year old blind orphan raised to be a master thief and pick-pocket. Auxier deftly blends fantasy and obscure and strange words from bygone days with a substantial plot. Beguiling, mesmerizing, totally transporting, and inventive, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is a quick-paced, intelligent novel in the capable hands of a master storyteller.
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Each time she “reads” it, the story changes a bit. Kate was so, so cute and made up her own story to tell me while looking at the pictures. The gorgeous illustrations tell a story of a girl and a flamingo who explore their friendship through synchronized dance. Once we “read” it together, I quickly realized that is a picture book with no words. The illustration and typography on the cover sold me without even opening the book. I am obsessed with flamingos ( remember the flamingo party I almost hosted last year?), so when I spotted this book, Flora and the Flamingo, I knew I had to get it for Kate. I am so excited to be participating in a creative book series on Paging Supermom today! Perfect for summer, they have asked their favorite bloggers to create a craft inspired by a favorite children’s book. This collection is about many things-girlhood, transgression and morality, Florida, death, transformation, the souls of animals-but I would argue it is most of all about the messy work of love. Hate, scorn, violence, and shame exist side by side with tenderness, generosity, and sacrifice. In Moniz’s debut collection, Milk Blood Heat(Grove Press), two young girls-one white, one black-make a blood pact to become sworn sisters, a connection that persists even after one befalls a terrible tragedy an ageing man whose cancer-stricken wife refuses chemotherapy treatments struggles with his own fragility at the local watering hole a woman starts to see spectral body parts everywhere after losing a pregnancy. It felt true and taboo in the way that the greatest fiction often does. In one of the first stories I read by Dantiel Moniz, a woman grappling with a failing marriage wonders, “If this near-universal disdain a daughter can feel for a mother might be necessary for the appreciation that comes later, if this is what it takes to love.” I was struck by the honesty of that line, the story’s willingness to face the ugly things we often think or feel about those we most love. An honourable, sensitive Persian prince who refuses to hunt because he hates hurting animals is punished for making the wrong decision when it came time for him to sacrifice a camel (it wasn't choosing between whether or not to sacrifice an animal, that wasn't an option - it was *which* camel to sacrifice). Well, it's well-written, the plot is just something I can't get behind. Her hair, a bright auburn, stood out in the assembly of dark-haired people. In the row occupied by the God fearers, his gaze settled on a young woman. His eyes roamed about the hall, studying the faces of those who worshipped. Since Aquila spoke Hebrew fluently, his attention wandered when the translation began. With impeccable research and vivid detail, Daughter of Rome is both an emotive love story and an immersive journey through first-century Rome and Corinth, reminding readers once again why Debbie Macomber has said that “no one brings the Bible to life like Tessa Afshar.” But when they’re banished from their home by a capricious emperor, they must join forces with an unusual rabbi named Paul and fight to turn treachery into redemption. Their courtship unwittingly shadowed by murder and betrayal, Priscilla and Aquila slowly work to build a community of believers, while their lives grow increasingly complicated thanks to a shaggy dog, a mysterious runaway, and a ruthless foe desperate for love. Nor can they anticipate the mountains that will threaten to bury them. When the daughter of a prominent Roman general meets a disinherited Jewish immigrant, neither one can dream of God’s plan to transform them into the most influential couple of the early church. A chance encounter that catapults them into the heart of history. |