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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Samantha and Caitlin move from Los Angeles to Oregon to live with their aunt and her wife in a house in the woods. Sam insists that the new living arrangement is temporary, and she's desperate to get her old life back. As Sam discovers a magical secret that could be her way back home, the reality of the abusive household that she and her sister fled from is slowly revealed in bits of memories and in the sisters' own survival responses. Sam hides and Caitlin does everything she can to please the adults around her.
This story is heartbreaking in bunches of small details and quiet moments, but it is ultimately about hope and the finding of a family that is centered on love.
The magical fox and his game of ever-changing rules provides a powerful metaphor for domestic abuse, and serves as the challenge that Sam must overcome to begin her recovery.
This story has a great supporting cast and a well-balanced mix of the magical and the real, with just the right amount of blurring of the lines between the two.
This story is heartbreaking in bunches of small details and quiet moments, but it is ultimately about hope and the finding of a family that is centered on love.
The magical fox and his game of ever-changing rules provides a powerful metaphor for domestic abuse, and serves as the challenge that Sam must overcome to begin her recovery.
This story has a great supporting cast and a well-balanced mix of the magical and the real, with just the right amount of blurring of the lines between the two.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal death
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
I truly loved this middle grade book. a beautiful and relatable way to tell a story of abuse and the way it traumatizes. the description of the character’s reactions and thoughts were accurate and genuine. I would recommend this to anyone, whether or not you’ve experienced abuse yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.
I couldn't put this one down. When I had to, I was thinking about picking it up again.
If you go into A GAME OF FOX & SQUIRRELS expecting a cute adventure romp, OH-HOOOOO BOY, are you in for a surprise.
Sam and her sister Caitlin are moved to Oregon to live with their aunt and her wife on their little farm after an incident lands both of their parents in police custody. Sam is convinced that soon enough they'll get to go back home to Northern California, especially because school is starting up soon and she has a library book that will come due in a few weeks. That means they're going back, right?
Right?
In among the totes in her new room, Sam finds a card game called Fox & Squirrels. The goal is to survive the winter and collect as many nuts as you can, and if you draw one of the three types of foxes, survival becomes a bit harder. Then one day Ashander the fox shows up to talk to Sam. He has a few...tasks that he'd like her to complete. As a reward, he'll give her the Golden Acorn that can grant wishes, like putting her life back to the way it was before the incident. Everything will be fine if she just does what he asks and follows the rules, right?
...right?
If you thought that a kids' book about a quest couldn't also serve as a parable about how abusers work, then you're sorely mistaken. My biological father was abusive, and only in the past couple of years did I recover a memory of being hit by him. As for memories of every other time before he left us, all I get is sounds and emotions and blackness, like a play happening behind a closed curtain. The damage has been done in Sam and Caitlin's lives, and they quickly discover that this new home doesn't require masks or apologies or a rule of silence. No one can ever know is the mantra they lived by in Northern California.
This book absolutely killed me. The way Jenn Reese paralleled Ashander and an abuser was beyond brilliant, and I found myself racing too far ahead to keep up with my own desperate need to finish this book. I absolutely can't wait to see what she comes up with next, because if this is any indication, there's a long and promising career ahead of her. Holy crap. Every school should be handing out copies of this book. Or at the very least (and realistically speaking) should have it available to read.
I couldn't put this one down. When I had to, I was thinking about picking it up again.
If you go into A GAME OF FOX & SQUIRRELS expecting a cute adventure romp, OH-HOOOOO BOY, are you in for a surprise.
Sam and her sister Caitlin are moved to Oregon to live with their aunt and her wife on their little farm after an incident lands both of their parents in police custody. Sam is convinced that soon enough they'll get to go back home to Northern California, especially because school is starting up soon and she has a library book that will come due in a few weeks. That means they're going back, right?
Right?
In among the totes in her new room, Sam finds a card game called Fox & Squirrels. The goal is to survive the winter and collect as many nuts as you can, and if you draw one of the three types of foxes, survival becomes a bit harder. Then one day Ashander the fox shows up to talk to Sam. He has a few...tasks that he'd like her to complete. As a reward, he'll give her the Golden Acorn that can grant wishes, like putting her life back to the way it was before the incident. Everything will be fine if she just does what he asks and follows the rules, right?
...right?
If you thought that a kids' book about a quest couldn't also serve as a parable about how abusers work, then you're sorely mistaken. My biological father was abusive, and only in the past couple of years did I recover a memory of being hit by him. As for memories of every other time before he left us, all I get is sounds and emotions and blackness, like a play happening behind a closed curtain. The damage has been done in Sam and Caitlin's lives, and they quickly discover that this new home doesn't require masks or apologies or a rule of silence. No one can ever know is the mantra they lived by in Northern California.
This book absolutely killed me. The way Jenn Reese paralleled Ashander and an abuser was beyond brilliant, and I found myself racing too far ahead to keep up with my own desperate need to finish this book. I absolutely can't wait to see what she comes up with next, because if this is any indication, there's a long and promising career ahead of her. Holy crap. Every school should be handing out copies of this book. Or at the very least (and realistically speaking) should have it available to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
I enjoyed the non fantasy parts best. The card game metaphor was important to the story’s theme, but wasn’t well integrated. This was such a thorough, sensitive exploration of domestic abuse from the eyes of a child with an overlay of fantasy. I also enjoyed the effortless lesbian and neurodiverse representation!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Find my full review here: https://bookedwithgrace.wordpress.com/2021/02/11/surviving-and-thriving-in-a-game-of-fox-and-squirrels/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse