The Newbery Medal is awarded every January to the “author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” and this year Dave Eggers won for his extraordinary book, The Eyes and the Impossible.
The story is narrated by Johannes, a free and wild dog who serves as the “eyes” of the park. He is irrepressible and full of bravado and reports his daily findings to three bison who are the “Keepers of the Equilibrium”. When things begin to change in his beloved home (a new building is being constructed, a ton of goats just moved in!) Johannes and his myriad of animal companions must devise an action plan on how best to confront these strange happenings.
Eggers is a master storyteller, and this tale is an unusual departure from so many “animal stories” because the animals aren’t meant to be symbolic of people. They are animals being animals and Eggers makes this very clear in his introduction. The Eyes and the Impossible is full of humor, action and suspense and was quite thrilling to read.
We would highly recommend this for advanced readers, and it would be an amazing choice for a family or classroom to read aloud. Check out the winners from the previous ten years.
