Book Club Guide for Peter Nimble & His Fantastic Eyes

Greenglass House by Kate Milford book cover

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

By Jonathan Auxier

For Ages 8-12

Genre: Fantasy

Adventure ho! After stealing a box of magical eyes, Peter, a blind orphan raised to be a thief, is transported to a mysterious island and must undertake a quest to save those in need. Use these discussion questions, snacks, and activities during your next book club to bring this magical tale to life. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is great for tween and homeschool book clubs or to recommend to fans of action-packed fantasy.

Discussion Questions

In addition to the general book club questions for fiction books found here, below are my favorite questions to get groups talking about Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes.

Which set of eyes do you think were the best?
In Chapter 2, Peter Nimble shares that his favorite sound is when a lock clicks open. Do you have a favorite sound? What is it and why? If you could not see, what sounds do you think would be important to know?
What places do you think you could navigate without using your eyes?
Which sense do you think is the most vital to survival? Which sense would you least like to lose and why?
At the end of the book, what does Peter gain back? What does he lose? Why do you think the author chose to make Peter suffer that loss?
Can you think of any other main characters in other books or movies who are seriously injured at the end of their adventure?
Was the ending predictable? Were you surprised by Peter’s true identity? Why or why not?

Snacks

Professor Cake!

Slices of whatever kind of cake you fancy or whatever cake is on sale at your local grocery store. Professor Cake is the character Peter steals the magical eyes from and sends him on his quest.

Milk

In honor of Sir Tode, obviously.

ACTIVITIES

Guess the Meaning

This makes a great icebreaker! The world of thieving is full of secret words, known only to criminals and cutthroats. Choose thieving terms or other fun words from Peter Nimble and have attendees guess their meaning. For example,

Twiddlesticks: A pick-pocket's fingers.
Haberdasher: A person who sells hats or sewing supplies.
Patch: A disguise. This can include clothing but also extends to voices and other ways to blend in.
Maiden's key: A hairpin used to pick locks.
Scuttlebutt: Rumor or hearsay.
Cat Burglar: A thief who enters a building by climbing into an upper story.
Worm Burglar: A thief who enters a building by burrowing a tunnel below it.

Check out The Youth Desk's Book Clubs page for more icebreakers that can be used with any book.

Blindfolded Games

Use a handkerchief to blindfold attendees and challenge them to the following games:

Walk the Line: Mark a line on the ground with painter's tape. Challenge each kid to walk a straight line while blindfolded.
Keeper of the Keys: Have the blindfolded person sit in the middle of the room with a set of keys sitting on the floor just in front of them. The other attendees must quietly sneak up to the blindfolded person and snatch the keys. If the Keeper thinks someone is moving, they must point in their direction, and that person must go back to the beginning of the outer circle.
Build a Tower: Out of blocks while blindfolded! Who can build the tallest tower?

Animal Drawings

Challenge attendees to draw the names of two animals from a hat and then draw a creature that is part of both animals, like Sir Tode, who is part cat and horse. Animals examples include dog, fish, cat, horse, rabbit, raven, turtle, hippo, lion, squirrel, etc. Give attendees 10 minutes and then share!

This was one of my book club's most enjoyable activities!