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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Samantha and Caitlin move in with their Aunt Vicky because of abuse that occurred in their own house. Due to her own abuse, Aunt Vicky chose to remove herself from her family so the girls don't know their aunt. For her birthday, Aunt Vicky gave Sam a board game called "Fox and Squirrels" and we get a dose of magic realism as the Squirrels and the Fox appear in real life. At first, the game is easy but the fox required more and more until Sam is in WAY over her head. Will Sam learn that there are adults in the world that love unconditionally and without hitting?
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
Hard hitting, but I loved it. I loved the characters. Sam and her sister, Lucas and his knitting. I loved seeing Sam find a way through the game and finding a new home. This is a powerful book, but I loved the magic in it. The game got scary at times, but it was just the perfect balance.
I need to let this one simmer a bit.
This is a book with a very high social emotional IQ.
This is a book with a very high social emotional IQ.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It is rare in reading a middle-grade work that my adult heart is broken and I find myself weeping. This book is so amazingly written, so powerful in the juxtaposition of fantasy and brutal reality, that there was nothing to do but close the last page and cry. This masterfully written book tells the story of Sam and Caitlin, who open the book having arrived at their Aunt's house to stay following an instance of domestic violence. Sam is given a beloved game, one in which the stakes are as high as the adventure is tempting, and the winner gets what their heart wishes most. Sam is unprepared for the tricks and turns in this game, but her life has taught her well and she soon has to make a critical choice as she finds the line between magic and reality becoming less clear.
Now to find some cucumbers for my eyes...
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
Now to find some cucumbers for my eyes...
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
3.5 stars. Engaging. Sensitively handles the difficult topic of abuse in a manner that is approachable for a middle grade audience. The card game element never fully came together for me, and there are places where this story feels like it needs to be fleshed out. Overall, unique magical realism with relatable characters.
Andre Norton finalist Jenn Reese, a children's fantasy author, steps into a contemporary children's lit story with elements of magical realism. Samantha and her sister Caitlyn have been removed from their parents' custody because of physical and psychological abuse. They've been sent to live with their Aunt Vicky and her wife Hannah. While Caitlyn seems to decompress in their home, Sam struggles to adjust to her new reality. She's sure she'd going to be allowed to return to her familiar life any day now. She's reluctant to make a new friend in Lucas, the son of her aunt's work partner. She doesn't see why she needs to be registered for school in Oregon when she lives in California and her best friend BriAnn is probably wondering what is going on with her and where she is. Aunt Vicky introduces Sam to the Game of Fox and Squirrels, a fantasy card game with a slick fox named Ashander and a group of squirrels including Maple, Birch, and Cedar. When a very real Ashander shows up in Sam's room, he offers her the chance to find a golden acorn, which can fulfill any wish Sam might have, like say, going home to her parents. While she pursues the acorn, Sam slowly, almost unwillingly, begins to see the reality of the life she had been living with her parents, and what sacrifices Caitlyn made to protect her younger sister. She also learns, with the help of Vicky and Hannah, what a healthy family can look like.
Limning a brutal family reality and the fantasy world that helps Sam come to terms with her father's abuse and mother's complicity, Reese has done a simply amazing job creating a novel that children and adults will both relate to. This is a novel that slides the knife to the heart in so smoothly and softly at times, in all the little ways that you see Sam justifying the life she and Cait were living, making excuses for her father.
The audiobook, narrated by Sarah Franco, is lovely.
I received a digital review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Limning a brutal family reality and the fantasy world that helps Sam come to terms with her father's abuse and mother's complicity, Reese has done a simply amazing job creating a novel that children and adults will both relate to. This is a novel that slides the knife to the heart in so smoothly and softly at times, in all the little ways that you see Sam justifying the life she and Cait were living, making excuses for her father.
The audiobook, narrated by Sarah Franco, is lovely.
I received a digital review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.