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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Surprisingly scary and creepy, this is a great book for any young reader looking to dip their toes into horror! Also, I learned something about Beatrix Potter which upset me, girl why?!
Read the full review on my blog!
Read the full review on my blog!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
‘All scary stories have two sides...Like the bright and dark of the moon.’
Survival horror has a quick access to the fears inside us all, often asking what level of trauma would you be willing to endure to keep living. For humans this is often a creepy yet thrilling game of ‘what if’, but for the animal world much of their life is a constant be-on-the-lookout to survive. Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker is a middle grade novel that creates survival horror through the eyes of‐you guessed it—young foxes that will keep you up late clutching the book with white knuckles. It is certainly more effective than most horror I read as a child and has become a favorite for both myself and my daughter (who was 8 at the time we read it). The book starts as connected stories that slowly thread into a shared narrative with each episodic chapter framed as a different style of horror narrative but couched in the world of foxes and what would be terrifying to them. Combined with incredible graphite art that recalls the thrills of [b:Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark|1325218|Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Scary Stories, #1)|Alvin Schwartz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440189576l/1325218._SX50_.jpg|145600], this is a legitimately creepy story that also has a great deal of heart while showing the power of friendship in the face of death and also the importance of storytelling.
What really works is the genuine creepiness of the tales and the way each section plays on classic horror tropes. For example, a rabies outbreak is written like a zombie apocalypse, being stuck in the home of a taxidermist being a captivity horror something like Stephen King’s [b:Misery|10614|Misery|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554220401l/10614._SY75_.jpg|3230869], a monster horror scene and, perhaps the most menacing, a narrative about being in the clutches of a manipulative sociopath grooming young girls. If you are giving this to a younger reader, be advised that this doesn’t shy away from death, disfigurement or cruelty. But none of it feels over the top or unnecessary (it is horror and is meant to be actually scary and is the animal kingdom afterall) but it is disturbing. But mostly a LOT of fun. If you like this kind of thing, I was delighted by how well done it is here.
‘But it's a dangerous thing to start caring for someone else.’
There is a lot of heart to this book and it will make you cry too, which I didn’t expect after how frightening it was. The primary message is that sticking together and taking care of each other is the way through all the darkness and dangers of life. The book is also charmingly framed as an elder fox telling scary stories to a litter of young foxes, returning to the present after each chapter to discover another of the foxes has become frightened and run home. It’s cute and recalls childhood storytelling and nursery rhymes that count down, like The 5 Little Monkeys or Six Little Ducks. But it also shows the importance of storytelling as a way to pass down knowledge or pass on warnings about the dangers of life. The oral tradition kept knowledge going for generations and that is really effective in this book.
‘If you're brave enough to listen and wise enough to stay to the end, the stories can shine a light on the good in the world. They can guide your muzzles. They can help you survive.’
This is such a creepy delight and I would recommend it to both children and adults. A bit long at times but nevertheless a real page turner. It is also a perfect read for the Halloween season. Also, its all about my favorite animal, so maybe I'm a bit biased but seriously, this book is a terrifying treat.
4.5/5
Survival horror has a quick access to the fears inside us all, often asking what level of trauma would you be willing to endure to keep living. For humans this is often a creepy yet thrilling game of ‘what if’, but for the animal world much of their life is a constant be-on-the-lookout to survive. Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker is a middle grade novel that creates survival horror through the eyes of‐you guessed it—young foxes that will keep you up late clutching the book with white knuckles. It is certainly more effective than most horror I read as a child and has become a favorite for both myself and my daughter (who was 8 at the time we read it). The book starts as connected stories that slowly thread into a shared narrative with each episodic chapter framed as a different style of horror narrative but couched in the world of foxes and what would be terrifying to them. Combined with incredible graphite art that recalls the thrills of [b:Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark|1325218|Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Scary Stories, #1)|Alvin Schwartz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440189576l/1325218._SX50_.jpg|145600], this is a legitimately creepy story that also has a great deal of heart while showing the power of friendship in the face of death and also the importance of storytelling.
What really works is the genuine creepiness of the tales and the way each section plays on classic horror tropes. For example, a rabies outbreak is written like a zombie apocalypse, being stuck in the home of a taxidermist being a captivity horror something like Stephen King’s [b:Misery|10614|Misery|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554220401l/10614._SY75_.jpg|3230869], a monster horror scene and, perhaps the most menacing, a narrative about being in the clutches of a manipulative sociopath grooming young girls. If you are giving this to a younger reader, be advised that this doesn’t shy away from death, disfigurement or cruelty. But none of it feels over the top or unnecessary (it is horror and is meant to be actually scary and is the animal kingdom afterall) but it is disturbing. But mostly a LOT of fun. If you like this kind of thing, I was delighted by how well done it is here.
‘But it's a dangerous thing to start caring for someone else.’
There is a lot of heart to this book and it will make you cry too, which I didn’t expect after how frightening it was. The primary message is that sticking together and taking care of each other is the way through all the darkness and dangers of life. The book is also charmingly framed as an elder fox telling scary stories to a litter of young foxes, returning to the present after each chapter to discover another of the foxes has become frightened and run home. It’s cute and recalls childhood storytelling and nursery rhymes that count down, like The 5 Little Monkeys or Six Little Ducks. But it also shows the importance of storytelling as a way to pass down knowledge or pass on warnings about the dangers of life. The oral tradition kept knowledge going for generations and that is really effective in this book.
‘If you're brave enough to listen and wise enough to stay to the end, the stories can shine a light on the good in the world. They can guide your muzzles. They can help you survive.’
This is such a creepy delight and I would recommend it to both children and adults. A bit long at times but nevertheless a real page turner. It is also a perfect read for the Halloween season. Also, its all about my favorite animal, so maybe I'm a bit biased but seriously, this book is a terrifying treat.
4.5/5
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes