Reviews - Pax | The StoryGraph

1.79k reviews for:

National Book Award winner. This short, gentle novel starts with a pair of brutalities: a boy forced to leave his hand-raised fox by the side of the road, and that same boy left with his grandfather as his father heads off to war. Will they survive? Will they reunite? Will they heal? No easy answers here.

Pennypacker sets the story in what seems to be the US, but during contemporary-ish times and with a war on US soil. North v South? It's unclear, and not to the point of the story, which brings refugees and the destruction of wartime very close to home.

I was happy to see there's a follow-up novel; I wanted more time with the boy and his fox.

sheenaperron's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

mrspinkbookworm's review against another edition

3.5

emotional hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Enjoyed the chapters written from the fox’s (Pax) point of view.

thislibrarianisreading's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional hopeful tense slow-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: Yes

vintagequeengf's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I loved this book so much! The ending felt abrupt and half-hearted to me, especially compared to the beauty of the rest of the book! I didn’t want to let this one go. I loved the characters so much!!

timothycapehart's review against another edition

4.0

I loved this book. I am waffling between 4 and 5 stars (what ever you see above is what I feel right now). The waffle is this: I am not entirely sure the end is earned (maybe earned is the wrong word. Not sure I see the tree well enough to know that this last action is the apple falling far from it)...or the story complete for both our protagonists. Peter's half of the story, I see the shape of...Pax's feels like it is missing the last beat, the last something.

Still thinking...which is more than I can say about the last thirty books I've read this year. And that this comes from Clementine's mommy (love those books too) makes this more magical because it shows such a breadth of talent. I hope (as so many mention in their reviews) this is on the Newbery radar this year.

bkowalczik's review against another edition

5.0

Once I got into this book I found it original, insightful and moving. About a boy trying to "rescue" his released pet fox. Chapters alternated between the boy's story and the fox's. I think Pennypacker is a beautiful writer and did a great job letting me feel the wilderness through the fox.

I enjoyed the little philosophical nuggets:
"You're anti war right?
"That's a complicated thing. What I am for is telling the truth about it." p 130
"Two but not two." p 187