The Horn Book Guide

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Pennypacker, Sara

Pax

278 pp. | HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray | February, 2016 | Trade ISBN 978-0-06-237701-2 $16.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-06-237703-6

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jon Klassen. When his father enlists, twelve-year-old Peter is forced to release his pet fox into the wild. Omniscient third-person chapters alternate between Peter's and Pax's stories as boy and fox try to find each other--and as soldiers prepare for an unnamed war practically in Peter's backyard. Occasional black-and-white illustrations portray scenes both ordinary-seeming and subtly menacing. An emotional, thought-provoking story of conflict, loyalty, and love.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016