Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard

Auxier, Jonathan. Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard. A Peter Nimble adventure. 2016. 444p. ISBN 978-1-4197-1747-5. Available at FIC AUX on the library shelves.

Sophie Quire has worked all of her life as a book mender, following in her mother’s footsteps. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the city of Bustleburg has been getting rid of its nonsense, in part driven by Inspector Prigg, to move the people towards modernity and science. As a result, business at Quire and Quire booksellers has been steadily declining. To make matter worse, at the next Pyre day all story books are to be thrown in the inferno that will be ignited outside of town. Sophie will lose many of her friends when this happens for her books will also be thrown in.

Early in the morning a few days before Pyre day, Sophie is wandering the streets when she can’t help herself and steals some books from the guards’ wagon. Destined for the Pyre, these books are now property of the state, and Sophie is quickly discovered and captured. That’s when a mysterious figure, Peter Nimble and his trusted sidekick, Sir Tode, leap down from a nearby rooftop and saves the day. At least, he thinks he saves the day, but Sophie gets in more trouble with the law.

Peter will not be deterred, however, as he is on a mission from Professor Cake. He must deliver The Book of What to Sophie so she can mend and fix it. But this book is powerful and filled with magic, and when Sophie begins to mend it she realizes that the book will answer any “what” question. She discovers she is the last storyguard, and Peter is the most talented thief ever to exist. Unfortunately, the only thing missing is the name of her mother’s killer. Thus begins a quest to find answers to questions Sophie didn’t know she had, and this quest will lead her to find the other books, The Book of Who, The Book of Where, and The Book of When. But danger lurks, and the forces who murdered her mother are still very much waiting for Sophie’s book. Can their mysterious adventure save the city of Bustleburg?