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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Thank you Edelweiss+ for an advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review.
This book is about Sam and her sister who has been taken from her home by social services and sent to live with her Aunt and her wife who she didn't know about. There are small clues throughout the book as to why they were taken from her home, but nothing definite until the end of the book.
Sam is given a card game from her Aunt as a birthday game. Almost immediately, she starts seeing the fox, Ashander, from the game. He talks to her and tells her that he has a way for her to get home and all she has to do is past his tests. Ashander is charming, manipulative, scary, and dangerous.
Read this book! It was wonderful and so heartwarming. I cried, I laughed, and I cheered for Sam and her family.
Find out what happened to Sam and her sister. It's a wonderful way to tell a story that no one usually talks about and how to get other children to speak up.
This book is about Sam and her sister who has been taken from her home by social services and sent to live with her Aunt and her wife who she didn't know about. There are small clues throughout the book as to why they were taken from her home, but nothing definite until the end of the book.
Sam is given a card game from her Aunt as a birthday game. Almost immediately, she starts seeing the fox, Ashander, from the game. He talks to her and tells her that he has a way for her to get home and all she has to do is past his tests. Ashander is charming, manipulative, scary, and dangerous.
Read this book! It was wonderful and so heartwarming. I cried, I laughed, and I cheered for Sam and her family.
Find out what happened to Sam and her sister. It's a wonderful way to tell a story that no one usually talks about and how to get other children to speak up.
I admire Jenn Reese as a person, having heard her talk and met her through the Nebulas conference. And I love the title to the book, and, indeed, the whole game narrative, which has echoes of Zathura or Jumanji, although not in so fully an immersive way. I was prepared to like the book which was a finalist for a 2021 Nebula award, and in the end I did but I had some worries along the way.
The issue addressed by the book is a tricky one. How to write about children who live with abuse without, I dunno, hitting the readers over the head with explicit details that could really cause problems with some readers, and yet find ways to suggest modes of survival. Indeed, the book is written for children (MG). Reese does this with a light touch which I found endearing. The game theme provides the frame which allows her to tackle difficult subjects through play, and this largely worked. I have read several reviews that suggested Reese may have been too heavy-handed in the way game characters map to real-life characters (e.g. the fox to the absent and abusive father), but I ultimately felt that her portrayal of the fox is nuanced enough, and complex enough to escape easy parallels.
Where I had worries was the game-as-psychological-device. If the fox and squirrels were physically present as suggested, why was only Sam able to see them? And if not, they were psychological projections, and this wasn't, in fact, a fantasy at all, but rather a pschological drama? Ultimately, however, these issues were partially resolved at the end which, despite my misgivings, felt satisfactory. The nature of the fox and squirrels was left ambiguous, which I felt was important for the story to work.
My final assessment - a really good effort on a difficult subject, but not a perfect book. Although who gets to do perfection, really? My final grade is, however, closer to 4 than to 5, but not by much.
The issue addressed by the book is a tricky one. How to write about children who live with abuse without, I dunno, hitting the readers over the head with explicit details that could really cause problems with some readers, and yet find ways to suggest modes of survival. Indeed, the book is written for children (MG). Reese does this with a light touch which I found endearing. The game theme provides the frame which allows her to tackle difficult subjects through play, and this largely worked. I have read several reviews that suggested Reese may have been too heavy-handed in the way game characters map to real-life characters (e.g. the fox to the absent and abusive father), but I ultimately felt that her portrayal of the fox is nuanced enough, and complex enough to escape easy parallels.
Where I had worries was the game-as-psychological-device. If the fox and squirrels were physically present as suggested, why was only Sam able to see them? And if not, they were psychological projections, and this wasn't, in fact, a fantasy at all, but rather a pschological drama? Ultimately, however, these issues were partially resolved at the end which, despite my misgivings, felt satisfactory. The nature of the fox and squirrels was left ambiguous, which I felt was important for the story to work.
My final assessment - a really good effort on a difficult subject, but not a perfect book. Although who gets to do perfection, really? My final grade is, however, closer to 4 than to 5, but not by much.
This book means a lot to me, and I'm so glad Jenn Reese wrote it. It can't have been easy, and it's an intense read. Magical Realism as a genre specifically deals with escaping from trauma, and this book gets that right. It's sharp, compassionate, swift, and careful.
It never felt trite. It never felt like it was leading to "happily ever after" in the spun sugar, empty calorie way. There's a therapist. There are caseworkers. There are adults doing their work as good example. Parents having tough conversations. All of it shows empathy and care. These tools are background to the magical plot, you might not even really notice they are there, but if you've come out the other side, you realize those are the details that get you there and stop the cycle.
The concept of the Fox & Squirrel game is brilliant. It's sly and cunning, and then it's empowering. I read the last rule card through tears. Through me whispering, yes. Yes, that's exactly it. The relationship that Sam has with the squirrels was so subtle and spot-on for co-dependent behavior. I mean it when I say this is a careful book. This isn't a heavy-handed moralizing. This is a story full of whimsy and imagination that also happens to have a villain who behaves a lot like someone we might know.
This book has so much value beyond my poorly articulated review. I hope it makes its way into all the classrooms so that kids can see how the rules work, and how we are allowed to break them.
It never felt trite. It never felt like it was leading to "happily ever after" in the spun sugar, empty calorie way. There's a therapist. There are caseworkers. There are adults doing their work as good example. Parents having tough conversations. All of it shows empathy and care. These tools are background to the magical plot, you might not even really notice they are there, but if you've come out the other side, you realize those are the details that get you there and stop the cycle.
The concept of the Fox & Squirrel game is brilliant. It's sly and cunning, and then it's empowering. I read the last rule card through tears. Through me whispering, yes. Yes, that's exactly it. The relationship that Sam has with the squirrels was so subtle and spot-on for co-dependent behavior. I mean it when I say this is a careful book. This isn't a heavy-handed moralizing. This is a story full of whimsy and imagination that also happens to have a villain who behaves a lot like someone we might know.
This book has so much value beyond my poorly articulated review. I hope it makes its way into all the classrooms so that kids can see how the rules work, and how we are allowed to break them.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was written for a younger age group than I expected. For my kids, at the age level this is written at, I think they would have struggled a bit with the story due to the way the familial abuse wasn't clearly stated or shown. I think you'd have to understand the idea of that before the hints could be understood.
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
This book was a complete surprise and so very important. A haunting metaphor, beautifully told.
Is it a fairy tale? Is it an allegory? Kids and adults, moving from danger to safety, need time, stories, support. This is about that, but indirectly. Quite lovely.
This book was incredible. I couldn’t put it down. It definitely deals with some heavy content, but it does it in such a beautiful way. The book made me cry such beautiful tears. It’s just magical.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
Minor: Child abuse