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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
The writing was beautiful but I think I am the only person that did not get the setting of this book. It bothered me that there were buses, libraries and baseball games but soldiers were building fencing for a war. I also was confused by the revelation made of why Dad went to war! Not sure if a 4-6th grader would get that message.
What a wonderful story about the love between a child and his fox. (Yes, fox, not dog.) Pax will tug on your heartstrings just as The One and Only Ivan did, except the language of the former is more elevated. I cannot wait to recommend this one to my students. They’ll get to explore issues of war and the wounds it creates as well the idea of recovery in so many senses of the word.
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Self harm
Have been reading/rereading a bunch of middle grade books to give to my niece. This one has been a favorite.
The story of a boy and his fox is told amidst struggle, both internal and external. Peter and his fox, Pax, are on the way to live with his grandfather so his father can go fight the looming war, when his father stops the car and makes Peter get out. Peter knows what is expected of him, so he throws Pax's favorite toy in the woods, and then gets in the car and goes on to his grandfather's without Pax, separated from each other for the first time ever. Peter quickly resolves to find Pax, and slips out in the night to go back to the spot he left him. Meanwhile, Pax sets out for home, struggling to survive in the wild for the first time. Even though Peter and Pax both find others to help them, their journeys are made more difficult by the ever encroaching war.
Pennypacker talks about some serious themes: war and its effect on man and the environment, overcoming; can humans and animals ever truly escape their inner instincts; everything is intertwined ("two but not two"). Although these are heavy themes, the twelve year old Peter and fox Pax help make the themes appealing to younger readers. An excellent book that can be read on many levels, and will especially appeal to animal/nature lovers.
Favorite quote of the book: "Distrust is no match for kindness administered consistently and unmeasured" (Chapter 5)
Pennypacker talks about some serious themes: war and its effect on man and the environment, overcoming; can humans and animals ever truly escape their inner instincts; everything is intertwined ("two but not two"). Although these are heavy themes, the twelve year old Peter and fox Pax help make the themes appealing to younger readers. An excellent book that can be read on many levels, and will especially appeal to animal/nature lovers.
Favorite quote of the book: "Distrust is no match for kindness administered consistently and unmeasured" (Chapter 5)
my hopes were probably way too high based on the cover alone (c'mon, it's jon klassen). a lovely sensory experience from start to finish. beautiful depiction of a human-animal friendship told in alternating viewpoints. unfortunately the vagueness of time & place, the forced quirkiness of the boy's spiritual guru/accidental caretaker, some plot holes, & a rushed, unsatisfying ending kept it from being stellar. but it was beautiful.
This book was overall disappointing. Partly because we expected a lot from it. But in the end, the illustrations were the best part. The heartwarming bits were few and far between and heavily outweighed by the umbrella of melancholy.
Who is this book for? It hits too hard with its brutality and destruction of war message to feel right as a kids book. The personal growth angle is definitely in the middle grade novel range, but it's tainted by the depressing war theme. It's not subtle; I felt kind of hit over the head with the author's message. And maybe that is her point, but it doesn't make for enjoyable reading, especially when I thought we were getting a story about a boy and a fox.
Also, the vagueness of "the war" never felt right. Seems a very American setting (baseball, farms, etc) though the timeframe is also deliberately vague. Yet they're fighting this war on American soil in our neighborhoods? Who is the opposing side? Why are they evacuating towns?
Felt like it was a made for TV movie script that didn't translate that well to the page. I just wanted a heartwarming story about a fox. 2 stars. Love Jon Klassen's art.
Who is this book for? It hits too hard with its brutality and destruction of war message to feel right as a kids book. The personal growth angle is definitely in the middle grade novel range, but it's tainted by the depressing war theme. It's not subtle; I felt kind of hit over the head with the author's message. And maybe that is her point, but it doesn't make for enjoyable reading, especially when I thought we were getting a story about a boy and a fox.
Also, the vagueness of "the war" never felt right. Seems a very American setting (baseball, farms, etc) though the timeframe is also deliberately vague. Yet they're fighting this war on American soil in our neighborhoods? Who is the opposing side? Why are they evacuating towns?
Felt like it was a made for TV movie script that didn't translate that well to the page. I just wanted a heartwarming story about a fox. 2 stars. Love Jon Klassen's art.
I'm here to give this a 5 star review from my 9-year old who read it last year.
Now that I'm in a book club, we've both been doing a lot more reading and just recently, he told me that when it's my turn to pick the next title, he thinks I should pick Pax, but said, "It's really sad though, but REALLY good."
Now that I'm in a book club, we've both been doing a lot more reading and just recently, he told me that when it's my turn to pick the next title, he thinks I should pick Pax, but said, "It's really sad though, but REALLY good."