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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
I've shelved this under fantasy, but it's only marginally fantasy really, and could almost be interpreted in the way that The Haunting of Hill House is interpreted... with all the non-natural elements resulting from the protagonist's instability and trauma. That trauma, here, is very clearly apparent. Sam and her older sister Caitlin have been removed from an abusive home and sent to live with their aunt. Caitlin is very clear-sighted about their situation, but Sam is miserable and just wants to go home, even though home is awful. Both girls are reacting to their new home as if it is another abusive environment - hyper-aware of their aunt's emotions and her ability to hurt them, and trying their best to mitigate it - even though that new home is a place of safety and understanding and their aunt loves them dearly. It's just very well done, with an enormous amount of restraint and even subtlety, and it wasn't surprising to read the author's note at the back which indicates that they have drawn on sad experience in writing this.
The fantastical elements, real or not, come in the form of the children's game of the title, and Sam slowly comes to realise that the characters in that game act as metaphors for her own family relationships. By playing the game, and interacting with those characters, she is able to grope her way to a healthier understanding of what has happened to her, and how little she is to blame. It's so cleverly and gently done, and even though I own an ecopy, I'm going to have to find a hard copy, I think, because it's lovely and I really want to read it again in a more tangible form.
The fantastical elements, real or not, come in the form of the children's game of the title, and Sam slowly comes to realise that the characters in that game act as metaphors for her own family relationships. By playing the game, and interacting with those characters, she is able to grope her way to a healthier understanding of what has happened to her, and how little she is to blame. It's so cleverly and gently done, and even though I own an ecopy, I'm going to have to find a hard copy, I think, because it's lovely and I really want to read it again in a more tangible form.
A great story that will be loved by children and adults.
A dark, witty and well crafted plot with a cast of fleshed out characters and an amazing building made me love this story.
It's the first I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
A dark, witty and well crafted plot with a cast of fleshed out characters and an amazing building made me love this story.
It's the first I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
dark
emotional
hopeful
With a strong magical/imaginative/metaphorical element that doesn't reveal itself to be either definitively, at heart this is a deliberate story about learning to trust yourself when you've grown up with parents who have hurt you and made their own rules of living and being. It is solidly a younger-middle-grade book, but as an adult who lived a childhood with some of these elements, it still brought up some Stuff in a powerful way - but in a healing way. It's so important to write about. I hope this book gets more promotion and attention from librarians.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to deal with abuse and trauma in kid’s books. A lot of recently published books have been really explicit about the bad things that can happen in a kids life, and, as a professional book person, I’m still tying decide how I feel about that and what age I’m comfortable giving certain books to kids.
That said, this book does a marvelous, heartbreaking job of centering trauma and abuse in a way that kids will
Immediately relate to. Eleven year old Sam and her older sister have just been sent from LA to live with their aunt and her wife in Oregon. Although we aren’t given specifics, we know that something happened with their parents, specifically their Dad, who clearly hurt Sam’s older sister.
Shortly after they arrive, wary and uncertain of their aunt they barely know, Sam gets “A Game of Fox and Squirrels” from her aunt as a gift. It’s a strategic board game involving a crafty, manipulative fox who players (squirrels) must outsmart to win. That night, a real fox shows up at Sam’s window and makes a deal with her, promising to get her back home in LA with her parents if she passes three “tests” for him.
What follows is a beautiful, emotional metaphor of a kid trying to come to terms with her reality. Adults and some discerning kids, will read this and piece together exactly the kind of situation Sam has escaped from, while many kids could read this as a straight up fantasy adventure, good vs. evil story.
I loved the way Jenn Reese chose to tell this story. It felt wonderfully kid appropriate, while not shying away from true danger. A great read for kids and adults alike.
Grade 3 and up. Perfect for fans of The War that Saved my Life.
That said, this book does a marvelous, heartbreaking job of centering trauma and abuse in a way that kids will
Immediately relate to. Eleven year old Sam and her older sister have just been sent from LA to live with their aunt and her wife in Oregon. Although we aren’t given specifics, we know that something happened with their parents, specifically their Dad, who clearly hurt Sam’s older sister.
Shortly after they arrive, wary and uncertain of their aunt they barely know, Sam gets “A Game of Fox and Squirrels” from her aunt as a gift. It’s a strategic board game involving a crafty, manipulative fox who players (squirrels) must outsmart to win. That night, a real fox shows up at Sam’s window and makes a deal with her, promising to get her back home in LA with her parents if she passes three “tests” for him.
What follows is a beautiful, emotional metaphor of a kid trying to come to terms with her reality. Adults and some discerning kids, will read this and piece together exactly the kind of situation Sam has escaped from, while many kids could read this as a straight up fantasy adventure, good vs. evil story.
I loved the way Jenn Reese chose to tell this story. It felt wonderfully kid appropriate, while not shying away from true danger. A great read for kids and adults alike.
Grade 3 and up. Perfect for fans of The War that Saved my Life.
There were parts of this book that I really liked. I loved the characters of Aunt Vicky and Hannah. I mean how great is it to have a married lesbian take in these girls? I liked the idea of the anthropomorphic squirrels and the fox. But... I just didn’t love this book like I thought I would. I wish it had been one thing or the other. I wish it had either been a fantastical adventure story with talking squirrels and a charming but evil fox or that it had been a story about kids leaving a physically and emotionally abusive home. But the way that the fox was meant to be a stand in for the abusive father just felt kind of heavy-handed. Like I couldn’t have missed that if I tried. And honestly in the end I’m not sure if the fox and the squirrels were really real and that bothers me.
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-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:
Yes
I thought this was such a great book. It was a very powerful book about a young girl who goes with her sister to stay with her aunt and her aunt's wife after something happened at their home. I liked the idea of the author to create a game to help our main character to understand about what happened and to come to terms that her father is not a nice man and she is safer away from him. I also think the illustrations were very beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse