Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE by Dave Eggers
Introduction by Heavy Medal Award Committee Member Jenn Potter:
Dave Egger’s newest book, THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE, is simply a feast for the mind. Told from the unique perspective of Johannes, a curious and brave dog living in a park by the sea, this novel makes the reader see the characters in all their glory and folly. Egger’s portrayal of Johannes’ perspective on the park, his friends, and his responsibility as the Eyes shows imagination and yet is so realistic that you can imagine that the story really was written by a wild and free and life-loving pup.
The joy with which Johannes runs at “the speed of light” can be felt with his exclamations of “Ha Ha Hooooooo!” I have a new puppy myself and as she escaped from me and ran around my front yard at top speed I could just imagine her shouting the same!
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There are not many books that give such a heartfelt and accurate depiction without anthropomorphizing them quite a bit. But Eggers does a masterful job at making the reader feel like they are an animal in the park learning the story of a park hero. The descriptions of places and events make the reader understand that the animals comprehend more than we humans give them credit for while their lack of understanding of numbers makes them even more believable.
Johannes is just one of the well developed characters in this novel. Bertrand the seagull, the three bison, and the other assistant Eyes each have their own strengths and weaknesses, which draws the reader into loving them all the more. The patterns of their days show that the park has an equilibrium but that for Johannes, at least, there is time for exploration and curiosity in his day. When the equilibrium is upset because of changes that the humans make Johannes works with the bison and the assistant Eyes to create and implement changes to bring the park back into order.
By the end of the second chapter the students I read this story too were overwhelmingly hooked and begged me to keep reading. These students were in three different grades and the waiting list for my copy of THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE is over a hundred long now… ordering more copies. Some students couldn’t wait so bought their own copies. I cannot wait to have future discussions with them about the twists and turns and adventures of the Eyes.
Heavy Medal Award Committee members and others are now invited to discuss this book further in the Comments section below. Let the Mock Newbery discussion begin!
Filed under: Book Discussion, Heavy Medal Mock, Uncategorized
About Steven Engelfried
Steven Engelfried retired from full-time library work a couple years ago and now works as a part-time Youth Librarian at the West Linn Public Library in Oregon. He served on the 2010 Newbery committee, chaired the 2013 Newbery Committee, and also served on the 2002 Caldecott committee. You can reach him at sengelfried@yahoo.com.
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Thank you for sharing how this resonated with students–I think that was my only really big concern with this one, if it was ACTUALLY for kids or just an animal story and therefore “published” for kids. I found this a really edge-of-my-seat book throughout, even as I figured out the twists, and the emotional weight of the last few pages…shooo.
Happy New Year everyone!
Our protagonist and narrator Johannes has such a well-developed voice – he is decisive, confident (even cocky!), free. He has a strong sense of justice (the scene where he confronts the other goats for ostracizing Helene!), an acute awareness of beauty (the descriptions of the sea, wind, sky!), and a profoundly loyal spirit. Supporting characters were also well developed — I loved how each species has their own distinct (the effortlessly cool turtles, daring and haughty gulls, wise and gentle bison, mischievous and clever raccoons).
In many ways, this is a classic coming of age novel where our protagonist learns that the world is far larger and more complex than he could have imagined (quite literally in Johannes’ case when he learns that his beloved park is an island, insignificant in the larger world). His own Equilibrium is profoundly rocked by these revelations about the world and the truth of his own identity as part-coyote. He wrestles to integrate these new experiences and knowledge into his understanding of the world, trying to make new meaning and find new purpose even as he feels like his life is careening off-course at the speed of light.
The language was beautiful in this book – words like beguiling, sublime, riveting, transcendent. Eggers is careful to deploy this vocabulary intentionally and I think it’s a large part of why this book feels more expansive and richer than most novels with animals as the main characters. While the real Newbery committee can’t make this reference, I will – I was often reminded of THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN while reading.
Excellent point, Kyra, about this being a “classic coming of age novel.” Johannes is such a unique character (and also: he’s a dog) that I didn’t really make that identification, but it’s exactly right.
I also agree that the language sets this apart from most animal fiction. IVAN is a good reference, but I have to say I didn’t get quite that same level of richness from this year’s THE ONE AND ONLY RUBY (though I still liked it a lot). For distinct language in fiction this year, I also think about THE MANY ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR, GATHER, and maybe THE SONG OF US.
I loved this title too, and it felt so original and fresh, unlike, in my opinion the slightly cloying Ivan.
This book surprised me in the best possible way and by the end I was distraught over the thought of parting ways with Johannes and all his friends at the park. Eggers’ language is glorious, engaging and perfectly representative of how I imagine a dog would talk. All of the characters serve a purpose and are well-rounded. The plot flows easily, with no extraneous moments. I have nothing negative to say about The Eyes and the Impossible (other than it came to an end).
Jenn, I’m so glad you mentioned your students’ reaction to this book, as the reader is tossed into the deep end immediately on page one, but then – if they can keep up – swept away by Johannes’ voice. It takes some work to make the dog’s-eye-view mesh with what we know of the human world, but the language is glorious, and there’s humor too, especially in Johannes’ exaggeration/hyperbole concerning anything to do with measurement. A truly unique and standout book, even among animal stories.
I loved this book. I think the first chapter comes out so strong in dog-speak. I think it would have been hard to read a whole book written that way though, so I’m glad it was reined in. Still, I think the dog’s language made for a unique style. His estimations of time are far from realistic, but I don’t think most wildlife have a real sense of time except for maybe hunger.
I loved the language as well; I wrote down mirth, incongruous, rapturous, and paragon. It made it a more sophisticated animal book.
I’d say it has themes of freedom and valuing life. I’m still not 100% sure what “The Impossible” in the title refers to; ideas? I was thinking maybe the plan to move the bison?
Kelly Mueller, I love your descriptive word list. #nailedit.
THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE is one of my favorite books of 2023. It is a modern, middle-grade animal adventure story. Advanced vocabulary and powerful imagery create an outstanding setting. “I ask you to trust our collective wisdom. We have come to a series of related conclusions. Can in enumerate them?” (104) Ok, I will.
Beginning with page one, readers meet the narrator through a first-animal perspective. For example, this first chapter passage engaged all my senses and helped me to understand the starting place of the character: “I run like a rocket. I run like a laser. You have never seen speed like mine. When I run I pull at the earth and make it turn…. I run like light.” (12*)
Need more imagery?
“I sucked the wind from the ocean.
I ate the clouds from the sky.
And I looked to the Sun and gathered from her all she had to give.
And I roared a kind of bark that was also a howl and also a bellow and even a bit of squall.” (187*)
While the anthropomorphic lens is applied to the main characters, they still maintain animal qualities on their journey of self-discovery and exploration. Egger’s writing style is original and distinct. For example, “Every reasonable creature knows that the worst thing any creature can do all day is think of themselves. If there are troubles in your mind, you should first think of the troubles of others; it is the essence of liberation, that is, freedom begins the moment we forget ourselves.” (127)
I also appreciated creative humor. For example, his early disdain for ducks because they are “ irresponsible and self-centered” (82*) becomes a source of hum that breaks the tension as the plot develops and the story arc peaks. The comment by friend Sonja the goat, “I think even the ducks will surprise you in the end. I think everyone has a role to play, ” is followed by Johannes, “I sighed the loudest sigh of my life. Again with the ducks.” (184*). This is funny but carries a valuable lesson that furthers the theme and plot.
Eggers also employs powerful literary devices. How about the repeat of “I could go,” (237) drawing the reader with possibility the is a race to the end.
I had all the feels with passages like “What kind of Eyes would I be if I were not in the world seeing? Heroes go forth. To be alive is to go forth.”
Egger’s writing reminded me of A Wrinkle in Time that stood out to me for setting and style. THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE is distinct in it’s own way with unique characters, an imagery-filled setting, and important lessons that combine to power an open and deeply satisfying ending.
The full page illustrations are cool. They are full page landscapes that from 1660-1880 that have been altered by the illustrator to include the dog/wolf protagonist, Johannes.
*While most pages refer to my copy, I gave that away to another reader. Page numbers with asterisk refer to the books special edition made by McSweeny’s in 2023 that was given to me as a gift.
Eggers excels at delineation of characters and setting in THE EYES & THE IMPOSSIBLE. Readers who are lucky to have a special pup in their lives will relate to Johannes as he is introduced in the book’s very first line: “I turn I turn I turn before I lie to sleep and I rise before the Sun.” (11) I imagine my sweet boy, Toby, circling before bed—on my bed, of course.
Johannes sees everything, runs like light, and lives free. He is loyal to and reverential of his friends (“I believe [Bertrand] is the grandest and strongest of all the gulls” (26)), reflects on space and time (“The park is enormous. I am not a math expert but I believe it is ten thousand miles along its length and about three thousand along its width.” (14); “[the three Bison] have ruled the park for millions of years or more” (16)), and fiercely protects his home by reporting park news back to the Bison.
By using Johannes’ voice to tell the story, Eggers hits “appropriateness of style” out of the park. Not only does the book meet several Newbery criteria, THE EYES & THE IMPOSSIBLE may be my favorite middle grade read of the year.
I enjoyed the first half of The Eyes and the Impossible. The setting was beautiful and Johannes was an interesting character. The other characters all sounded the same to me, which with how Johannes describes them, I expected them to have more personality. Towards the end, I felt the story was repetitive and became boring. Even in the beginning, I did not feel like this was a children’s book. It seems it’s more of an adult book that certain kids may like.
Can you please elaborate on what makes you feel that this book is not a children’s book?
I just don’t see general kid appeal for this one. I’m sure there may be some kids who enjoy it, I would be shocked though if most kids started and finished it. If I were to compare it to New Kid, the experiences in that book have many experiences kids go through. The Girl Who Drank the Moon was fantasy, but the tone was more kid-like. Johannes did not feel like a child-like Ivan did in The One and Only Ivan.
Comparing The Eyes and the Impossible to books on this list, I believe other books are well-written and will appeal to a greater scope of children.
Thank you for your answer. I look at the number of kids who like animal stories like the Warrior cat books by Erin Hunter or the One and Only Ivan and thought it should do well with children. I know the language used for the number of pages seems off for me, but I wanted to know if I am missing something else. I am in no way saying that you would not have other better for you Newbery books, I just was curious about this one comment.
I can see your point Michelle. I had a hard time getting into this book – and at first, I wondered if this would appeal to kids. Once the plot got going, I saw the appeal for middle graders. Where this book excels is the delineation of setting, plot and characters. I thought Johannes was a strong character and you really cared for him. Reader see him emerge to be free and I loved how he went back for Bertrand, too. I loved this story!
I was truly surprised by the THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE and in the best ways. I’m not sure what I expected, as my previous knowledge of Eggers’ work was HER RIGHT FOOT, which is obviously in a completely different category.
I was blown away by Eggers’ ability to stay in character as Johannes. The sentence structure, descriptive language, and perspective were completely accessible, but just a tiny bit off. I’m thinking something such as if everything you knew was picked up and turned 10 degrees in a different direction. Just off enough to make it feel different and to catch you off guard, but normal enough that you can’t quite put your finger on what it is that’s different. Every time Johannes described the passage of time or his speed, it brought a smile to my face. Every duck comment made me laugh. It was just so creative and really reminded me that the narrator was a dog without relying on silly clichés. Johannes is a mature, responsible dog with an amazing vocabulary.
I enjoyed learning about the world of the park and its citizens through the eyes of Johannes. The characters each had their own important role and their own depth. I felt the drive that Johannes had for freeing the bison. I felt his disappointment when they made their decision to stay. I felt his fear for Bertrand and his exhilaration at the thought of leaving the park with the goats.
I did have a hard time sticking with the plot towards the middle, at about the time that there was a plan brewing to get Johannes into the building to see the rectangles and then the plan changed to finding a way to free the bison. I wasn’t sure if I missed a few pages but when I thought about it later I stepped back into the animal perspective and it seemed to make sense that everything might not be so clear and neatly laid out.
I greatly enjoyed this book. It was unique, it was interesting, and the characters will stick with me for quite some time. When I see my dog running in our yard, I’ll think about how in her mind, she’s probably pushing the earth’s rotation while she runs faster than light.
One of my well-read 5th-grade students commented: “It’s confusing at times when the dog doesn’t really understand things, so you don’t really understand what they’re talking about even though in real life, you would actually understand it, but they write it in a confusing manner.” So, the folks questioning if this is a kids’ book have a valid point. EYES is funny and profound, but is it 2023’s MOST distinguished contribution to young people’s literature? Don’t think so.
I agree that language was the most distinct element of this book, though I also share in the reservations about the appropriateness of its distinct style. I wonder if you stripped away style, whether the book’s bones hold up? As suggested above, the book’s plot and characters could seem conventional. I thought some things that seemed intended to be big payoffs, such as the revelation that they were on an island, or that Johannes is half wolf, or his passing the baton as the Eyes, didn’t feel nearly as significant to me as they did Johannes. Also, I wished something had been made of Johannes’ intriguing reaction to art.
When Al from THE LOST LIBRARY talks about other people not being able to see her (because she is a ghost, though sometimes they do), it is not unlike Johannes. We get that Johannes should be an unreliable narrator, just based on how he expresses himself, but in the end, it is just style. There is no point to it other than that’s just who he is, whereas Al’s unreliability becomes central to the book. As an adult reader, I saw the plot twist in both THE LOST YEAR and SAMIR a mile away. THE LOST LIBRARY’s surprised me, and what’s more, I found it deeply moving. This superficially charming book with animals and friendly ghosts had a deep but not histrionic trauma in its heart.
THE EYES & THE IMPOSSIBLE shines in delineation of characters, delineation of setting, interpretation of theme and language. I usually do not like animal fiction books, but this book was a surprise. It was a delightful compelling story full of both humor, wisdom and as Casey stated: Johannes is a mature, responsible dog with an amazing vocabulary. Like Casey I was blown away with Eggers ability to stay in character as Johannes. Johannes’ inner thoughts immediately pulled me into the story with his need to run, but also his fierce loyalty to his friends. He is a well developed character, smart, caring, curious, helpful and reaches out to friends. He reminds me of Charlotte in CHARLOTTE’S WEB. The side characters are delightful too, from Bertrand with his daring flights at the archery range to Angus the raccoon, who the other animals relied on because he has opposable thumbs.
The setting is well described, I can picture Johannes ‘daily rounds’ in the park, his visits with the Bison at their pen, his noonday meeting onto of the huge boulder and the many human activity areas in the park. Eggers descriptions of Johannes running on the beach are delightful. I can feel the wind, hear the waves and feel the sun. I experience Johannes pleasures of running really fast, but also the quiet when he calms himself down at his home in the tree by saying: ‘God is the Sun. Clouds are her messengers. Rain is only Rain’. Johannes wisdom shines through with his loyalty, friendship and finding purpose in life. He believes in staying curious, being knowledgeable, heroes go forth, to be alive is to go forth, be yourself and find freedom. This book, surprisingly, is near the top of my list for an award!
I have really enjoyed reading all of the insights into these books. As a parent, I am often interested to look at the Lexile, DRA or Guided Reading levels of books. While new books are often not listed, I ran all 16 titles through MetaMetrics and found 3 that were interesting. Gone Wolf (700), The Lost Year (710) and The Eyes and the Impossible (790.) I found that very interesting.
Gone Wolf may appeal to students (12+) who enjoy dystopian books and are ready to read about social conflict and loss, but the Lexile measure ranks it in the 8-10 yr range. The Lost Year seems the book in the middle. It addresses more complex issues and plot structure, with more recognizable language and themes this generation of kids can relate to. This may appeal to kids across the board age 9+ much like the Graphic Novel choices on the list (that we had to wait WEEKS for at the library because they are always checked out!)
The Eyes and the Impossible (8+) may appeal to readers that are ready for advanced use of language but not quite prepared for more advanced social/emotional themes. My 6th grade daughter was captivated by the language in The Eyes and the Impossible and I saw that immediately reflected in her vocabulary and writing. I must say, that I too found the language to be powerfully rendered and moving. I also recommend this as a audio book paired with reading so that the pictures, and dialogue can be seen and heard concurrently. Libby is a great app that provides audio book for free through the public library.
Good insight from C. Gugger about the way THE EYES uses sophisticated language with less advanced themes. It’s a risky choice, to use more complex language in a book where the plot elements, at least, are typically for younger readers. In terms of plot structure, THE EYES is not that far off from THE REMARKABLE RESCUE AT MILKWEED MEADOW, where an animal (bunny this time) breaks out of her normal role to try and rescue a fawn. That book is very well done, with some artful narrative elements, but is more conventional in its storytelling than THE EYES, and with characters who are well-developed, but not as unconventional as Johannes. The two books offer distinctly different reading experiences, but I can imagine a single reader (but not all readers) appreciating both.