Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

It&;s been two years since Peter Nimble and Sir Tode rescued the kingdom of HazelPort. In that time, they have traveled far and wide in search of adventure. Now Peter and Sir Tode have been summoned by Professor Cake for a new mission: to find a 12-year-old bookmender named Sophie Quire. 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.

**STARRED REVIEW** "In the grand tradition of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart and John Stephens's The Emerald Atlas comes this companion novel to Auxier's Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. ...This author so clearly views books as the elixir of life, and this conviction oozes out of the text....A fantastically done fantasy that will be enthusiastically embraced by middle grade bibliophiles."-- "School Library Journal", **STARRED REVIEW** "Rife with suspense, droll and poignant moments, and the occasional brutal confrontation, Auxier's worthy, absorbing follow-up is also a thought-provoking look at classic literary tropes, including their fanciful, sometimes darker, nature and themes... Ultimately, this affecting, compelling story stands on its own, embodying and highlighting the power and impact of tales well told--and why they endure."-- "Booklist", **STARRED REVIEW** "This novel should be in the hands of every human young enough at heart to be enchanted by the written word."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Jonathan Auxier is the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Gardener and Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, which the Wall Street Journal called &;as delightful a magical story as readers . . . will hope to find.&; He teaches children&;s literature and lives in Pittsburgh with his family. Visit him at www.thescop.com.