I think I got this book from some of the recommended new and critically acclaimed lists I get. I like children’s and YA literature even after all these years. The cover art looked interesting so did the premise about the relationship between a fox and his boy owner.

I am not sure if I was expecting too much from this novel, but it did not impress me as much as I wanted to. I have been reading a lot of nonfiction lately and hoped this novel would break it up. It did not quite do that. The book has a heavy anti-war theme which felt a bit overdone. Maybe it’s because it’s been awhile since I read a YA book with such an overt theme. Every chapter basically said how humans are stupid when it comes to war. The ending was anticlimactic in a way. Heartfelt but less than one would think in a story about a boy and his fox.

Having said that, it is by no means a bad read. The main characters are interesting and all develop pretty well. I really liked Vola who is a supporting character and mentor in the book. I also enjoyed the illustrations by Jon Klasen. There weren’t enough of them!

I’d recommend this to children. It’s not a classic for me, but nice enough to read for younger readers.

Read January 24-25, 2017.