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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
emotional
Had I read this book as a child, I would have cried to the point that my mother would have taken it away from me. Animals exploding as they walk over tripwires during the war... Not something I would want to share with my class. I didn't enjoy this but I finished it, hence the 2 stars
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love, companionship, finding yourself, facing truth, impact of war… a lot packed into a book that isn’t very long in and of itself, though I think the memory of it and the thoughts conveyed will last much longer.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Listened to this with my son. We enjoyed the story and the growth of several of the characters, both human and animal.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The cover is absolutely beautiful and the premise of a young boy and his pet fox trying to find their way back to one another pulled me in immediately…But I cannot recommend this book.
The story itself is heartbreakingly sad, at times just strange, and though I appreciate the sentiments of the cost of war it was exhausting at times.
There are several areas that were confusing because sentences contradicted one another (ie. Pax drank water caught by leaves but later on the same page he was lethargic from not having any water). I will say that this only happened 2-3 times, and, overall, I do like the author’s voice and means of storytelling. The dual POV was well-done. Yet, the weight of the heartbreak and the strange nature of the boy and woman’s relationship overshadow the positive qualities.
The young boy, Peter, stumbles onto the property of a middle-aged woman with a peg-leg, Vola. Due to unaddressed trauma in her life, she lives out in the middle of nowhere with little contact with others. I know that how these two help each other is supposed to have several messages of living life to the fullest even after hardship but the whole situation is weird. A grown woman agrees to NOT contact an injured child’s guardian because he says he needs help finding a lost pet? I wanted to see Peter get help to find Pax and I did see character growth in both Peter and Vola but the set-up was just really odd especially since the location and time period is obscure and vague. There’s cars and buses so it’s in the modern world but how modern? Is this an actual historical period or a made-up war era in an earth-like world? I like found family tropes but I think Vola’s age and how she handled Peter showing up is off-putting.
My biggest issue with the book, aside from the ending, is the gruesome way an old fox is killed and another young fox is maimed. I understand the theme of the high cost of war but I personally cannot handle books with animals hurt and killed. The ending made me so sad and angry I could have literally thrown the book—we spend the entire book waiting for them to reunite only for Peter to send Pax off because he’s found a new family with his own kind. I understand the messages of love, letting who you love find happiness even if that means moving on separately, blah blah blah and so forth. But it simply sucked and I wholeheartedly hated it with ever ounce of my being.
Animal stories that do not provide heartwarming, life-changing, and/or hope-instilling companionship are NOT for me. Animal stories that show blood and flesh raining down after an animal steps on a land mine are NOT for me. Stories that leave me feeling like I’ve wasted my time and energy reading are not for me and will never be stories I recommend.
Clearly, there are people who like this book! It’s on the 2023-24 NC elementary Battle of the Books list, and it has an insane number of positive ratings and reviews. Like others, you may enjoy this book…But I don’t like it and honestly do not recommend it to anyone.
The story itself is heartbreakingly sad, at times just strange, and though I appreciate the sentiments of the cost of war it was exhausting at times.
There are several areas that were confusing because sentences contradicted one another (ie. Pax drank water caught by leaves but later on the same page he was lethargic from not having any water). I will say that this only happened 2-3 times, and, overall, I do like the author’s voice and means of storytelling. The dual POV was well-done. Yet, the weight of the heartbreak and the strange nature of the boy and woman’s relationship overshadow the positive qualities.
The young boy, Peter, stumbles onto the property of a middle-aged woman with a peg-leg, Vola. Due to unaddressed trauma in her life, she lives out in the middle of nowhere with little contact with others. I know that how these two help each other is supposed to have several messages of living life to the fullest even after hardship but the whole situation is weird. A grown woman agrees to NOT contact an injured child’s guardian because he says he needs help finding a lost pet? I wanted to see Peter get help to find Pax and I did see character growth in both Peter and Vola but the set-up was just really odd especially since the location and time period is obscure and vague. There’s cars and buses so it’s in the modern world but how modern? Is this an actual historical period or a made-up war era in an earth-like world? I like found family tropes but I think Vola’s age and how she handled Peter showing up is off-putting.
My biggest issue with the book, aside from the ending, is the gruesome way an old fox is killed and another young fox is maimed. I understand the theme of the high cost of war but I personally cannot handle books with animals hurt and killed. The ending made me so sad and angry I could have literally thrown the book—we spend the entire book waiting for them to reunite only for Peter to send Pax off because he’s found a new family with his own kind. I understand the messages of love, letting who you love find happiness even if that means moving on separately, blah blah blah and so forth. But it simply sucked and I wholeheartedly hated it with ever ounce of my being.
Animal stories that do not provide heartwarming, life-changing, and/or hope-instilling companionship are NOT for me. Animal stories that show blood and flesh raining down after an animal steps on a land mine are NOT for me. Stories that leave me feeling like I’ve wasted my time and energy reading are not for me and will never be stories I recommend.
Clearly, there are people who like this book! It’s on the 2023-24 NC elementary Battle of the Books list, and it has an insane number of positive ratings and reviews. Like others, you may enjoy this book…But I don’t like it and honestly do not recommend it to anyone.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An emotional book about war and it's true cost; a boy and his father; a boy and his fox; a veteran and learning who you are again. This seems like exactly the kind of book they would have us read in middle school English class....and maybe more people should read it - and we all choose Pax/Peace.
I was enjoying it but the ending was a total let down