Can I tell you how delightful it is to read a well-read author?
When I read the author notes at the back of these novels - because doesn't everyone? - Auxier often lists his inspirations for that particular novel. Roald Dahl (Danny Champion of the World), Ray Bradbury (Something Wicked This Way Comes), Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe- favorites of mine, no surprise those turned out a quality author. Then unspoken but obvious influences - some Peter Pan in Peter Nimble, some Fahrenheit 451 in Sophie Quire.
My second oldest introduced our family to Jonathan Auxier's books, and it's all we have read the last month. I love that his worlds all connect (except the Night Gardener - maybe?) so we can explore new aspects of the universe in each novel.
He toes the line with scariness in the middle grade novels, so in general I would proceed with caution for sensitive readers and read it aloud to skip parts with the youngest (mentions of ravens pecking out eyes…drowned kittens…). The difficult life circumstances of many of the children in his books reminded me of Roald Dahl, minus Dahl's touch of silliness.
Here are some thoughts on each of his books we have read so far:
For the littles:
The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp
These books are great for emerging readers - longer and more challenging than a picture book but more pictures and easier than a novel. I would say it is closest to the Princess in Black series (Shannon Hale)(NOT a recommendation for that FULL series), as far as reading level goes — but an altogether different style and story.
Auggie is a little boy who lives on a magic island at the top of the world and cares for fantastical beasts in the Fabled Stables, owned by the mysterious Professor Cake. This book introduces the magical Willa the Wisp, his new friend, who was being pursued by the bad guys, the Rooks.
The Fabled Stables: Trouble with Tattletales
In this book magical tail creatures attach themselves to everyone in a village and say every bad or embarrassing thing that person does. Auggie has another confrontation with the Rooks. This was my least favorite of the series because I think the moral of the story gets a bit heavy, but overall still pretty good.
The Fabled Stables: The Belly of the Beast
My favorite of the little kid books so far— I love that he wasn’t afraid to let people get eaten by monsters in a kids book. Yep, they just got eaten — even *SPOILER* the main character. EATEN! I laughed aloud. Anyway, it ends up happy, and we learn more about the Rooks, AND meet a character that ties into the Sophie Quire / Peter Nimble series (my older girls read all of these too to see if they could spot where the worlds connect).
For Family Read aloud:
Peter Nimble and the Fantastic Eyes
This book is long and sometimes intense for kids, but overall we loved it. Peter is a boy who has been orphaned and blind(ed) since an infant, and now lives as a thief / slave to Mr. Seamus. Through a series of thefts and magic, he ends up on an adventure to find (and save) the vanished kingdom with Sir Tode, a man/kitten/horse thing.
Sophie Quire
This is the sequel to Peter Nimble, but follows Sophie Quire, a bookmender. I like that her personality is so different from Peter’s and the four books of questions are an intriguing new element to the fantasy world. We haven’t finished this one as a readaloud, but my child who has read the book says she prefers it to the first Peter Nimble because Peter is cooler (he’s 14 and rather dashing in a Peter Pan way), and she liked how the book raised intrigue but answered all of the questions by the end.
For Myself (and my oldest kids):
Sweep
A chimney sweep girl has a soot-golem. This book is probably the most realistic, and depicts the hardship of chimney sweep children’s lives (and deaths). Nan Sparrow is a wonderful heroine—strong and resilient—and we all adored her admirer, Toby. However, I wasn’t in the mood for a darker book when I read this one, and I think I would have enjoyed it more in winter.
The Night Gardener
This one was inspired by Something Wicked This Way Comes, my favorite book since I was a little girl of 8 years old (not recommending it for most 8 year olds! I was allowed to run loose in the library…), so I had a predisposition to love it. It follows two Irish immigrant children looking for work since they are without their parents; unfortunately, they find it in the cursed manor islanded by a river. An enormous and yes, EVIL, tree (surprising since literature nearly always paints trees as good guys) is entwined in the house, and at night, someone uninvited walks the halls…
I have a low tolerance for scary, so this was perfect for me—just a touch of scary. I was only a little creeped out when I had to get up in the night and walk the dark halls of my own house (active imaginations beware). And there’s a moral as Molly learns the difference between lying and telling a story.
Writing Updates:
Two poems for summer up on Story Warren