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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I took a chance on this book. I have a policy that I always have to read a book before we do it for book club at school - but I really wanted to do this one and I hadn't read it. I have heard so many great things about it. I decided to give it a go.
I love this book because it touched my heart and it left many questions unanswered....great conversation starter!
At first I had some regret. We started reading it aloud in class and found the author doesn't mince at all on vocabulary. I was doing a lot of explaining...and eventually we quit reading it in class (not because we decided to abandon it, but just because book club is supposed to be books that kids read on their own or at home, not necessarily a class read aloud). However, kids kept coming to me telling me how much they were enjoying it. I got report after report about what chapter they were on and how they thought it was really great. I would ask, "Is it too tricky? Too many hard words?" and they were adamant that it wasn't. Okay!!
I do agree that this is a great story. It doesn't have the expected happy ending - something that isn't common in J fiction. I had a student come to me after only having the book for a couple days. She had finished it and wanted to talk about it, but I wasn't finished so I couldn't say much. She just kept saying to me, "I can't believe it....after all that work...." I would just shrug....I couldn't really answer. Finally, she walked away, shaking her head. I am really looking forward to chatting with her now about this book!
Peter's persistence was inspiring. There were many things that seemed just not fair to him. Losing his mother is one bad blow. Why would a dad decide to go off to war and leave his son?? That is never answered. And what is up with grandparents not finding him once he runs off? It does follow a common theme of J fiction though - of kids just looking after themselves. Adults are kind of useless - except for Vola. She's helpful - but quite mysterious and hard to understand. Maybe many adults are that way for kids. I liked Pax's faith in Peter. Even though he continues on and thrives in his natural environment, he never loses faith in Peter - unlike the adults in Peter's life.
Other questions:
Why are they living so near a war-zone anyway? It seems to be set in North America - but we have not had wars here for so many years - that seemed a little disconnected for me.
And in the end, when he says: The apple does fall far from the tree....wasn't he actually relenting by not having Pax come with him? He gives in to everything his father has done.
Reread: Feb 2020 We have a dog that not doing well and probably won't be with us much longer. This story gets insite your heart, no matter how many times you've read it before.
I love this book because it touched my heart and it left many questions unanswered....great conversation starter!
At first I had some regret. We started reading it aloud in class and found the author doesn't mince at all on vocabulary. I was doing a lot of explaining...and eventually we quit reading it in class (not because we decided to abandon it, but just because book club is supposed to be books that kids read on their own or at home, not necessarily a class read aloud). However, kids kept coming to me telling me how much they were enjoying it. I got report after report about what chapter they were on and how they thought it was really great. I would ask, "Is it too tricky? Too many hard words?" and they were adamant that it wasn't. Okay!!
I do agree that this is a great story. It doesn't have the expected happy ending - something that isn't common in J fiction. I had a student come to me after only having the book for a couple days. She had finished it and wanted to talk about it, but I wasn't finished so I couldn't say much. She just kept saying to me, "I can't believe it....after all that work...." I would just shrug....I couldn't really answer. Finally, she walked away, shaking her head. I am really looking forward to chatting with her now about this book!
Peter's persistence was inspiring. There were many things that seemed just not fair to him. Losing his mother is one bad blow. Why would a dad decide to go off to war and leave his son?? That is never answered. And what is up with grandparents not finding him once he runs off? It does follow a common theme of J fiction though - of kids just looking after themselves. Adults are kind of useless - except for Vola. She's helpful - but quite mysterious and hard to understand. Maybe many adults are that way for kids. I liked Pax's faith in Peter. Even though he continues on and thrives in his natural environment, he never loses faith in Peter - unlike the adults in Peter's life.
Other questions:
Why are they living so near a war-zone anyway? It seems to be set in North America - but we have not had wars here for so many years - that seemed a little disconnected for me.
And in the end, when he says: The apple does fall far from the tree....wasn't he actually relenting by not having Pax come with him? He gives in to everything his father has done.
Reread: Feb 2020 We have a dog that not doing well and probably won't be with us much longer. This story gets insite your heart, no matter how many times you've read it before.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
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
I wouldn't say this book is bad, not at all. I loved the book and was preparing for this to be a new favourite until I got to the ending. It kinda sat flat and what was built up to be a massive moment kinda just felt... rushed.
Now I love endings that are open every now and again, I love the idea that at the end it was down to pax and what he wanted to do and we would never know. But the way that it was presented felt a little like the author hadn't thought that far ahead.
A great book but the ending was a little flat.
Now I love endings that are open every now and again, I love the idea that at the end it was down to pax and what he wanted to do and we would never know. But the way that it was presented felt a little like the author hadn't thought that far ahead.
A great book but the ending was a little flat.
C'est un petit livre sympa, une lecture rapide et plutôt légère, une belle petite histoire touchante, des personnages attachants, qui même s'ils ne discutent pas à proprement parler grandissent ensemble.
Le livre aborde des thèmes matures, comme le deuil, les violences domestiques, la mort ou encore la guerre, mais il les traite de façon assez superficielle, sans réel impact sur l'intrigue et sur les personnages (à part la guerre qui joue un rôle important)... c'est dommage, surtout pour la violence, qui est introduite comme un élément fondateur de Peter, mais qui est plutôt laissée de coté.
D'un autre coté c'est un livre pour enfants, donc on ne peut oas s'attendre à des episodes trop obscurs (quoique quelques scènes sont plutôt graphiques)
Le livre aborde des thèmes matures, comme le deuil, les violences domestiques, la mort ou encore la guerre, mais il les traite de façon assez superficielle, sans réel impact sur l'intrigue et sur les personnages (à part la guerre qui joue un rôle important)... c'est dommage, surtout pour la violence, qui est introduite comme un élément fondateur de Peter, mais qui est plutôt laissée de coté.
D'un autre coté c'est un livre pour enfants, donc on ne peut oas s'attendre à des episodes trop obscurs (quoique quelques scènes sont plutôt graphiques)
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
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:
No
WOW, this book was emotional. I started crying on page 3 and kept crying through the whole thing. The themes deal with humanity's relationship to animals and nature, war's impact on humanity, and war's destruction of our environment. So, you know, just some light reading (especially in this global news cycle). This book was profound and moving, and it invited readers to question the beliefs they are taught about ourselves, war, and the status quo. Having the narration switch between a 12-year-old boy and a partially domesticated fox provided the perfect perspectives to drive home the emotional beats. Overall, while I loved this book and thought it was exquisitely written, I probably won't read it again because it was truly so heart-wrenching and I'm already sympathetic to the suffering that the book highlights.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, War
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
A beauty. It won't be to everyone's taste, I suppose, but I love the way this book is still wrapped in mystery after you've finished it because it leaves you still seeing through Peter's eyes. It's a masterclass in not having to explain every detail - we never find out where it's set, for example (though the baseball and lack of hunting are dead giveaways for "not England"). Children are ignorant, and I mean that in the kindest possible way - they simply don't have the knowledge or life experience to feel the same way about war as adults do. In a strange way it reminds me a little of Pseudopolis. Peter and Pax have an awful lot of learning and growing to do throughout, and although it will upset folks who like their animal stories fluffy, I think the ending was just perfect. Highly recommended for Y6-8 and possibly as a class novel as there's so much you could unpick.
I read this at the same time as Foxes Unearthed by Lucy Jones - I would highly recommend pairing the two, particularly if you're not familiar with fox behaviour.
I read this at the same time as Foxes Unearthed by Lucy Jones - I would highly recommend pairing the two, particularly if you're not familiar with fox behaviour.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
I read this to my 8 and 5 year old but goodness, I loved it for myself. It alternated point of views between a fox and a boy when they get separated. I have never read an animals pov so that was so cool. It did touch on harder subjects like war and loss so if your children are sensitive readers, they may not love this read.