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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
When a litter of young foxes think their mothers bedtime stories aren't scary enough she tells them about a story teller who has very scary stories, too scary for them. The young foxes sneak out that night to hear the scary stories. As the storyteller goes through her tales the foxes slowly turn back home as they find the tale to horrifying to listen to.
I doubt this story will be thought of as scary by any human children, but there are a few scary, gruesome elements that 'scary story' readers may enjoy.
Good for ages 9 and up
I doubt this story will be thought of as scary by any human children, but there are a few scary, gruesome elements that 'scary story' readers may enjoy.
Good for ages 9 and up
Just the right amount of scary for kids who like scary things. Not too predictable. All kinds of danger met these fox friends. Rabies (depicted quite horrifyingly), hunters and taxidermists, a sadistic father of a disabled fox, and swamp monsters. Intermingled are short passages of little foxes being told these scary stories by a storyteller and as the novel progresses, individual kits decide they've had enough scares and decide to return home to mama. It makes it okay and normal for kids to self-censor if they're getting too scared, just like the fox kids. Still had a happy ending and lots of good lessons throughout.
A cleverly written book. It is an easy read that I could put down.
It is also scary. Not like Coraline, but scary for a YA.
I really enjoyed it.
It is also scary. Not like Coraline, but scary for a YA.
I really enjoyed it.
Warning: contains cruelty towards animals and tarnishes Beatrix Potter's good name in the process
I picked up Scary Stories for Young Foxes on two different occasions at the library in 2019 and put it back on the shelf. For whatever reason, I just wasn't interested. When I saw it had been named a 2020 Newbery Honor Book I was still skeptical but decided I would make an effort to read it. I AM SO GLAD I DID! This was a 5-star read for me. I loved it! I almost read the whole thing in one sitting. (I fell asleep and had to finish the last 30 pages the following morning.)
The story is brilliantly structured as follows: seven fox kits are begging their mother for a scary story, rejecting all the ones she suggests as simply too tame; they want a REALLY SCARY story. Mother tells them about an old Storyteller who has many scary stories to tell...if they can handle it. With the wonderful (and sometimes foolish) bravery of youth the kits sneak out at night to seek out the Storyteller. The Storyteller tells them much can be learned from truly scary stories--but only if you can stay for the entire story. If you are too afraid and leave before the end, the story will always remain scary and you will never be able to receive the wisdom the story has to offer. Of course all the kits insist they are brave enough to hear the whole story.
The Storyteller then tells several different tales, each one building on the one before it so that all of the smaller stories taken as a whole reveal themselves as one overarching storyline. After each of the shorter stories, one of the kits is too frightened to continue listening and finds an excuse to return to their burrow (and their mother). The moments in the present with the listening kits are stitched seamlessly in between the stories, acting as the joints between the bones of the same appendage.
Uly and Mia are exactly the kind of warm-hearted, courageous, tenacious-in-tough-situations heroes about whom we love to hear stories. The villains--especially Mr. Scratch and Beatrix Potter(!)--are the deliciously horrible kind we love to root against! Scary Stories for Young Foxes is a bizarre blend of The Incredible Journey and the original Grimm's Fairy Tales: there are both animal survival and magical realism adventures.
That said, this will not be a 5-star read for everyone. I am a huge fan of the original Grimm's Fairy Tales, which includes their tradition of clearly defining good vs. evil and having some graphic obstacles for heroes and violent consequences for villains. If those original Fairy Talespunch your squeamish buttons, then Scary Stories for Young Foxes probably will too.
For readers young and old who enjoy truly chilling tales and the very concrete sense of justice (good is rewarded, evil is punished) present in old-school fairy tales I highly recommend you run out and get Scary Stories for Young Foxes as fast as you can! I'm glad I did!
The story is brilliantly structured as follows: seven fox kits are begging their mother for a scary story, rejecting all the ones she suggests as simply too tame; they want a REALLY SCARY story. Mother tells them about an old Storyteller who has many scary stories to tell...if they can handle it. With the wonderful (and sometimes foolish) bravery of youth the kits sneak out at night to seek out the Storyteller. The Storyteller tells them much can be learned from truly scary stories--but only if you can stay for the entire story. If you are too afraid and leave before the end, the story will always remain scary and you will never be able to receive the wisdom the story has to offer. Of course all the kits insist they are brave enough to hear the whole story.
The Storyteller then tells several different tales, each one building on the one before it so that all of the smaller stories taken as a whole reveal themselves as one overarching storyline. After each of the shorter stories, one of the kits is too frightened to continue listening and finds an excuse to return to their burrow (and their mother). The moments in the present with the listening kits are stitched seamlessly in between the stories, acting as the joints between the bones of the same appendage.
Uly and Mia are exactly the kind of warm-hearted, courageous, tenacious-in-tough-situations heroes about whom we love to hear stories. The villains--especially Mr. Scratch and Beatrix Potter(!)--are the deliciously horrible kind we love to root against! Scary Stories for Young Foxes is a bizarre blend of The Incredible Journey and the original Grimm's Fairy Tales: there are both animal survival and magical realism adventures.
That said, this will not be a 5-star read for everyone. I am a huge fan of the original Grimm's Fairy Tales, which includes their tradition of clearly defining good vs. evil and having some graphic obstacles for heroes and violent consequences for villains. If those original Fairy Talespunch your squeamish buttons, then Scary Stories for Young Foxes probably will too.
For readers young and old who enjoy truly chilling tales and the very concrete sense of justice (good is rewarded, evil is punished) present in old-school fairy tales I highly recommend you run out and get Scary Stories for Young Foxes as fast as you can! I'm glad I did!
AUDREY'S ONE-SENTENCE BOOK REVIEWS
A surreal campfire story told from a fox's POV just didn't seem like quite the right vehicle for an extended "fuck Beatrix Potter, in particular" sequence
A surreal campfire story told from a fox's POV just didn't seem like quite the right vehicle for an extended "fuck Beatrix Potter, in particular" sequence
This adorable middle grade novel takes you on the adventures of two young kits, Mia and Uly. Told as scary stories from a wise old storytelling fox these stories are scary, delightful and hard to put down!
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced