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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
When their father takes the abuse too far and breaks Caitlin's arm, Sam and her sister are taken away from their parents in Los Angeles and sent to live with their aunt and her wife in Oregon. Sam doesn't want to be there. She wants to be back home, where she knows the rules, even if she isn't really safe. She doesn't understand why she is being punished like this or why her sister isn't trying to get back home too. She is confused by her aunts' kindness. When the fox from the card game Fox & Squirrels appears inside her room and tempts her with ability to return home, she eagerly sets out to complete his quests even though they require sabotaging her new relationships. This is a raw and powerfully emotional look at the traumatic effects of living with abuse parents. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.
Blending fantasy with stark reality, this novel paints a picture of a tween's escape from an abusive home and the complicated feelings that arise at her foster home with her aunts. Sam does not at all want to be in Oregon - she desperately misses her parents and her home in LA where things weren't perfect, but she knew how to survive. When she's approached by a talking fox who offers to grant a wish if she completes tasks for him, Sam must decide what she's willing to sacrifice to try to please the fox. And the rules of the game keep changing. This is a powerful allegory and to my limited knowledge captures the experience of a foster child well.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I would not necessarily regard this as a children’s book, though it may be helpful in some cases. It’s absolutely about the author working through abuse in her own past, and it may be most helpful to adults in a similar situation. But—she has built most of a tower from which you can see the sea, to use Tolkien’s metaphor. I think Reese has done an excellent job mythologizing a difficult topic. Something is still missing.
I don’t love it. I can’t even articulate right now what it is but I don’t want to recommend it wholeheartedly and I am not going to go hand it to my kids and say “you have to read this!” Don’t trust foxes, y’all.
Note: the main characters go live with their lesbian aunt and her wife, and it’s a massive improvement over their previous home life.
I don’t love it. I can’t even articulate right now what it is but I don’t want to recommend it wholeheartedly and I am not going to go hand it to my kids and say “you have to read this!” Don’t trust foxes, y’all.
Note: the main characters go live with their lesbian aunt and her wife, and it’s a massive improvement over their previous home life.
This allegorical tale thoughtfully explores the complexities of family violence, trust, and love in an engaging adventure for middle grades readers. This may have a permanent place on my MG methods shelf.
This is such small book with such huge emotional impact. Excellent writing and perfect pacing. While the message and metaphors were overt, I still think it delivers perfectly for young middle age readers, especially those who may not have experienced trauma and domestic violence themselves. While some readers will see themselves in the story, others will gain understanding and empathy through a really accessible and heartwarming book. I cried. It was really good.