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A review by jonirhea
Maybe a Fox by Alison McGhee, Kathi Appelt
2.0
Maybe a Fox was, in all honesty, a disappointment. With the book being on our state list, Bluebonnet Nominees, I expected much more from this book. I really don't think many of my students will enjoy reading this depressing book, even be able to understand some of the concepts.
It starts off beautifully written, a story of two sisters who have lost their mom. The sisters are very close, yet very different. I actually had hopes that the book was going to be about these two sisters. Instead, we are met with more tragedy. Don't get me wrong, I'm ok with books that have sadness, and even tragic endings. I just don't see children loving this book, and very few being able to relate to it. I once had a student who had lost her mom and brother in a car accident. She came to me crying, because people kept suggesting books about death. She told me "I read to escape and be happy. I don't want to read more about sadness."
Children will also have trouble relating to the character, Elk, who has just returned from war. While a few will have that empathy, many will not understand his behaviors and how they relate to the war. I also had trouble with the spirit animals. I'm still wondering about the 'green bars' that the fox would see.
It starts off beautifully written, a story of two sisters who have lost their mom. The sisters are very close, yet very different. I actually had hopes that the book was going to be about these two sisters. Instead, we are met with more tragedy. Don't get me wrong, I'm ok with books that have sadness, and even tragic endings. I just don't see children loving this book, and very few being able to relate to it. I once had a student who had lost her mom and brother in a car accident. She came to me crying, because people kept suggesting books about death. She told me "I read to escape and be happy. I don't want to read more about sadness."
Children will also have trouble relating to the character, Elk, who has just returned from war. While a few will have that empathy, many will not understand his behaviors and how they relate to the war. I also had trouble with the spirit animals. I'm still wondering about the 'green bars' that the fox would see.