I dove right into Sophie Quire And The Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier with a little bit of apprehension. You see, I loved Peter Nimble back when I first read it. Yet, my tastes have changed and I barely read middle grade anymore. In fact, I don’t think I read any middle grade in 2020. As it turns out, Auxier’s writing is still a magical experience to read. Friends, I just loved Sophie Quire And The Last Storyguard.

Auxier’s Sophie Quire And The Last Storyguard is set two years after Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes. This book stars, of course, Sophie Quire. Sophie is the daughter of the local bookshop owner in Bustleburgh. Bustleburgh is moving toward a No Nonsense stance and have been dismantling things that lead to frivolity and nonsense for the past twelve years. Sophie is a lover of books and stories, naturally it runs in her blood. When she is found rescuing two books from the pyre and at odds with the Inquisitor, her adventure begins.

You see, this is when Peter Nimble and Sir Tode enter Sophie’s life and task her with mending a book – The Book Of Who, first of the four questions and a book which is magical. What happens next is the adventure of a lifetime, as Sophie encounters betrayers, magic, legends come to life and so much more. I loved the pacing of this book. 444 pages just flew by. I probably could have read this all in a day if not for my real life responsibilities. The story is told exactly as I want a fantasy story to be told.

In addition, Sophie’s character experiences this great level of growth. We see her truly come into her courage. Also, we see her react to obtaining more and more information about what happened to her mother. At the end, I wanted more adventures with Sophie — and Peter Nimble and Sir Tode too. Sophie Quire And The Last Storyguard is as truly special as Peter Nimble and I absolutely do recommend – particularly if you like middle grade books or just fell out of the habit of reading them. It’s superb and sure to send your imagination on a flight of fantasy.