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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
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:
No
adventurous
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:
N/A
Absolutely delightful. I love the build up of the creepy factor as well as the humane. Christian is a wonderful author and I look forward to his other middle grade titles in the future.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Leave it to animal survival fiction for young readers to be somehow endearing and disturbing at the same time. I was surprised by how graphic the material was at times given the audience, but it's similar enough to other titles in the genre that those used to it will probably be able to read it okay.
I wasn't expecting the stories to be as interconnected as they were. It starts off real strong with an animal's understanding of rabies, which is described quite chillingly at times. I think the horror starts to wear off a bit towards the middle, only for it to come back slightly in the end, but I think there's enough to keep readers invested. The villainous Beatrix Potter addition is something I'm still mulling over, since that would mean this story takes place in England, though there are crocodiles/alligators mentioned later in the story and those certainly are not native to the area, but we can all call that creative liberties I guess.
The suspense of these cautionary tales will keep any young reader on the edge of their seats.
I wasn't expecting the stories to be as interconnected as they were. It starts off real strong with an animal's understanding of rabies, which is described quite chillingly at times. I think the horror starts to wear off a bit towards the middle, only for it to come back slightly in the end, but I think there's enough to keep readers invested. The villainous Beatrix Potter addition is something I'm still mulling over, since that would mean this story takes place in England, though there are crocodiles/alligators mentioned later in the story and those certainly are not native to the area, but we can all call that creative liberties I guess.
The suspense of these cautionary tales will keep any young reader on the edge of their seats.
I read this aloud to a 4th grade class. After the first session I asked them if they thought it was too scary. I thought it was too scary! The fox kits' teacher Miss Vix gets rabies and goes after them infecting some of the kits. But they told me it was not too scary and it kept them engaged for an entire semester plus several weeks into the second. As their librarian I only see them once a week. When I would stop at the end of each class session they would beg me to "keep reading" (music to a librarian's ears).
We finished this today and I think the ending was meaningful to all of us. I told them "this is why I read you stories." To get them through the scary times and prepare them for the future.
We finished this today and I think the ending was meaningful to all of us. I told them "this is why I read you stories." To get them through the scary times and prepare them for the future.
For me it was a bit too long and it took me a while to get the gist of what was going on. It's a story within a story. Some little foxes are gathered around a storyteller who tells the tales of survival of Uly and Mia and some of their family members.
There are scary parts but nothing particularly terrifying. I thought it was going to go in my "short stories" section, but this is actually a novel. I thought it would go in my "horror" section but I'm wondering about putting it into fantasy (talking animals). I can't quite decide what to make of this - I'll be interested to see if my students like it. I wish it was a bit shorter for them and that it would be a bit more exciting at the beginning.
There are scary parts but nothing particularly terrifying. I thought it was going to go in my "short stories" section, but this is actually a novel. I thought it would go in my "horror" section but I'm wondering about putting it into fantasy (talking animals). I can't quite decide what to make of this - I'll be interested to see if my students like it. I wish it was a bit shorter for them and that it would be a bit more exciting at the beginning.
I felt in love with this stunning middle-grade book. The story is captivating and keeps you wanting for more. I could not put this jewel of a book down. The writing is superb, the characters well developed and fantastic to discover. I donโt think my review can really do justice to this little masterpiece. There are many intense and scary parts in the book, but in the end, it is really a story of resilience, courage, and love. I hope to read more from this author soon.
๐๐ผโ๏ธ Thank you, RainCoast Books for sending me an ARC of this exciting new book.
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Delightfully spooky and beautifully told. This book really captures the essence of the scary story: to warn its listeners about the dangers of the world and to make them cautious. This especially makes sense with the vehicle of the fox world. Heidicker does a fantastic job creating a world of creepy, frightening dangers, and half the fun is trying to interpret what the young foxes see and experience. This is well deserving of the Newbury Award.