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bibliobrandie's review against another edition
3.0
Read this for our school book club. We all liked it and thought it was a great way to talk about a tough topic. It took me entirely too long to realize who the fox and squirrel were representing. Some of my students actually never got it until we discussed it. They also had so many questions about whether it was all real or imaginary.
kimal2028's review against another edition
5.0
This book was pretty good ngl.
In this book Sam was removed from a domestic violence situation in her family and is sent to her aunt's with her sister. Catilin's arm has been broken and they are scared to speak up for themselves. Sam is scared to talk about the animals that she sees and about her quest for the golden acorn.
In the end she learns that she is worthy of loving how she is and that a lot of people love her no matter what.
In this book Sam was removed from a domestic violence situation in her family and is sent to her aunt's with her sister. Catilin's arm has been broken and they are scared to speak up for themselves. Sam is scared to talk about the animals that she sees and about her quest for the golden acorn.
In the end she learns that she is worthy of loving how she is and that a lot of people love her no matter what.
starthelostgirl's review against another edition
5.0
This book was much more poignant and psychological than I anticipated. Sam struggles as her entire life changes when she and her sister are removed from their parents and sent to live with a strange aunt in Oregon and her wife. The casual LGBT inclusion was awesome, and I loved the different dynamics between the characters. I really felt for Sam as she tried to cling to her old, familiar life. The magical realism paralleled the real world in a very intimate way. I loved the characters, especially Lucas, who is Sam’s first new friend in Oregon.
aconyers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Domestic abuse
libwinnie's review against another edition
5.0
One of my top contenders for most compelling read of the year. I couldn't put this one down!
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This book is powerful and important, and covers the topic of abuse, which isn’t often covered in middle grade. Unfortunately, many kids live in abusive situations, and they need books where they can see themselves and find hope for a better future. I will say that, for kids who are sensitive, it might be difficult to digest, but I think that books like this are needed. It was very obvious to me that Reese came from a difficult background herself because she portrayed the emotions of constantly walking on eggshells around a difficult family member perfectly. Samantha and her sister have struggled between love and fear when it came to their dad, and now that they’ve gone to live with their aunts, they’re just looking for a way to move forward and feel safe. Samantha struggles to trust, and when her aunt gives her a game called Fox and Squirrels, the fox in the game starts visiting her. He seems friendly, but there’s something sinister underneath. Via the fox, Samantha learns to stand up for herself and deal with the emotional baggage that comes with dealing with a controlling presence in her life. She also finds hope through her relationship with her aunts. The story has some difficult moments as Samantha relives her father’s violent temper, but it also shows how the human spirit can overcome. Samantha’s aunts are just what she needs—finally has a reason to feel safe and hopeful about her future.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in order to read it for the Cybils Awards. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This book is powerful and important, and covers the topic of abuse, which isn’t often covered in middle grade. Unfortunately, many kids live in abusive situations, and they need books where they can see themselves and find hope for a better future. I will say that, for kids who are sensitive, it might be difficult to digest, but I think that books like this are needed. It was very obvious to me that Reese came from a difficult background herself because she portrayed the emotions of constantly walking on eggshells around a difficult family member perfectly. Samantha and her sister have struggled between love and fear when it came to their dad, and now that they’ve gone to live with their aunts, they’re just looking for a way to move forward and feel safe. Samantha struggles to trust, and when her aunt gives her a game called Fox and Squirrels, the fox in the game starts visiting her. He seems friendly, but there’s something sinister underneath. Via the fox, Samantha learns to stand up for herself and deal with the emotional baggage that comes with dealing with a controlling presence in her life. She also finds hope through her relationship with her aunts. The story has some difficult moments as Samantha relives her father’s violent temper, but it also shows how the human spirit can overcome. Samantha’s aunts are just what she needs—finally has a reason to feel safe and hopeful about her future.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in order to read it for the Cybils Awards. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
cjhh's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly one of the impactful children's books I've ever read.
booklover160's review against another edition
3.0
This book should have a big trigger warning for abuse. A major part of this story is about dealing with child abuse. I wasn't expecting that at first. As a middle grade novel, I know I would have not liked this when I was that age. Similarly to the fox, this book has a great cover and interesting summary, but the contents are not as sweet as I was expecting.
In the end, I think this was done well. Sam grows into her own and learns that what happened, happened and ignoring it won't make it go away or allow her to go backwards. I think Caitlin was an interesting character too; you could clearly see she was performing for the adults and when she felt safer at their aunt's she dropped the performance.
Overall, I think this might be a bit hard for a younger kid to read, especially as it can be quite triggering. It really depends on your reader, but I'd recommend ages 14+
In the end, I think this was done well. Sam grows into her own and learns that what happened, happened and ignoring it won't make it go away or allow her to go backwards. I think Caitlin was an interesting character too; you could clearly see she was performing for the adults and when she felt safer at their aunt's she dropped the performance.
Overall, I think this might be a bit hard for a younger kid to read, especially as it can be quite triggering. It really depends on your reader, but I'd recommend ages 14+
justicepirate's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very cute story about a young girl who is sent along with her sister to their aunt's house. For her birthday, her aunt gives her a cute card game about foxes and squirrels. When she begins to play it, the sly fox appears in person to her and talks to her. She has a set of tasks to complete. She wants to go home badly, but as the story goes on, you learn about why they were sent away from their home in the first place. The young girl has to find her own understanding of how a home should feel. It was lovely.
Note: If you are a parent who is concerned about what your child reads, the aunt in this story does have a wife and they do talk about how they meet and fall in love, but that is the extent of explaining it. Definitely probably something you'd want older kids to read and understand better in that case.
Note: If you are a parent who is concerned about what your child reads, the aunt in this story does have a wife and they do talk about how they meet and fall in love, but that is the extent of explaining it. Definitely probably something you'd want older kids to read and understand better in that case.