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jwinchell's review against another edition
3.0
The structure of this gently rendered novel felt like a stretched out coil--each successive chapter loops back to pick up the story a few or more moments before the end moment of the prior chapter. But each chapter changes perspective (Sylvie, Julies, Sam, Senna the fox) and this is not greatly successful, IMHO. I was generally underwhelmed by the entire story even though it was lovely and gentle and sweetly ambitious. BUT, I will not hesitate to suggest this to young readers who like animals, realistic fiction, and a bit of adventure.
amelia_herring's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet, sad story of two sisters who have lost their mother to sudden illness. When the older sister disappears near a river and is presumed dead, life shuts down. In a parallel story, a fox mother has three babies, one of whom is special. She is a Kennen, a special spirit, and she is drawn to the younger sister and her pain. I don't really know how else to describe it, but it is wonderful.
knbee's review against another edition
4.0
An understated and lovely story that spiritually connects the animal and human worlds. Kathi Appelt is so good at conveying her characters' feelings- no matter the species- and I deeply felt the highs and lows of each and every one of them throughout.
etgohome3's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
courtthelionberryann's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a touching and sad story about dealing with great loss.
kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
Full review with teaching tools and authors' guest post: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=9347
This book is one I’ll be talking about for a while. I will say it is probably the saddest book that I’ve ever read; however, it is beautiful. It is very hard to explain unless you’ve experienced because it gives hope while also being so terribly sad. The characters, animal and humans, are so thought out and detailed that as you read you feel with them and for them. I was also in awe of the way Kathi and Alison were able to tell such a unique story without the reader ever feeling like it was an odd scenario. Whenever I try to describe this book to someone, they give me quite a weird look, so I just stop trying and tell them they should read it because it is a heart print book. There is no other way to describe it. Like Ricki said, every reader will feel for someone in the book. And every reader won’t be able to deny how beautifully written the prose is.
This book is one I’ll be talking about for a while. I will say it is probably the saddest book that I’ve ever read; however, it is beautiful. It is very hard to explain unless you’ve experienced because it gives hope while also being so terribly sad. The characters, animal and humans, are so thought out and detailed that as you read you feel with them and for them. I was also in awe of the way Kathi and Alison were able to tell such a unique story without the reader ever feeling like it was an odd scenario. Whenever I try to describe this book to someone, they give me quite a weird look, so I just stop trying and tell them they should read it because it is a heart print book. There is no other way to describe it. Like Ricki said, every reader will feel for someone in the book. And every reader won’t be able to deny how beautifully written the prose is.
brandypainter's review against another edition
2.0
I'm so sick of the sad depressing books. But this one seems manipulative and sentimental in the extreme. I'm also not entirely sure of the some of the usages that seemed vaguely indigenous but were vague enough to also not be.
ksoreads's review against another edition
5.0
"A Fox crying for his sister."
This reads like a children's version of Shiver by Maggie Steifvater, but with family aspects replacing the romance. I will say that I predicted the ending the by the first or second time they talked about reincarnation because, although the title is cute, it does give the book away.
One quick question. WHY DOES CYLVIE/SENNA HAVE TO DIE TWICE????
This reads like a children's version of Shiver by Maggie Steifvater, but with family aspects replacing the romance. I will say that I predicted the ending the by the first or second time they talked about reincarnation because, although the title is cute, it does give the book away.
One quick question. WHY DOES CYLVIE/SENNA HAVE TO DIE TWICE????