readingrobin 's review for:

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

3.5

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

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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.