Leila and the Blue Fox: An enthralling, uplifting adventure story from the creators of JULIA AND THE SHARK

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I haven't charted out my visits for the summer term, but I'm sure there are several in the south) and thanks so much for being so fantastic! Leila has been living in London with her aunt and cousin since migrating to Englad from Syria, she is missing her mum so goes to visit her in Norway for the summer.

While this could be because I was reading this digitally and the previous in print, but it helped these books feel different.Leila’s emotional story of lost love and jealousy is set against the perilous but essential migration of the fox. The opening chapter sees Leila nervously negotiating passport control ‘Look them in the eyes, but don’t stare, don’t blink too much, smile, not with teeth, with your eyes, but don’t squint. To Julia and the reader her behaviour is disturbing and irrational, until it is revealed that she is bipolar. The dynamic is frayed and ever-shifting; Leila hasn't seen her mother in six years and is desperate for answers.

Another beautifully written story by the author of Julia and the shark, is the journey of Miso, the artic fox and Leila, whose. The emotional mood of her story is perfectly matched by Tom de Freston’s beautiful and atmospheric illustrations. Alongside being a delightful tale of travel and families, the book also touches on immigration and refugee routes.Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave and illustrator Tom de Freston have created a quite beautiful book that works for all ages and looks simply gorgeous. Leila travelling to Norway to reunite with her mother while Miso, a blue fox, journeys across a continent. It was an incredibly sophisticated and mature children’s book that could be enjoyed by every reader. In an article in the Guardian Kiran Millwood Hargrave explains that these particular sharks are dated not by their bones but by crystals in their eyes that have trapped light from hundreds of years ago.Leila's and Miso’s stories are intertwined - both are lost, have hope, don’t give up and find love in the end.

Although the illustrations in this copy of the book were in black and white, I can’t wait to see them alive in blue and grey, and with the tracing paper pages added.The need for both animals and people to migrate is explored in a thoughtful, sensitive way, as is the mother/daughter relationship. It transcends their nationality and origins and becomes a universal dialogue on growing up and responsibility. The sense of place is again vividly created by the author’s vivid description and the stunningly dramatic illustrations of Tom de Freston. This book is beautifully written, and the blending of Leila reflecting back on her past, along with her current adventures with the fox is mesmerising. This middle grade novel, the second collaboration between Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston, is set in the present and explores global issues such as climate change, the environment and migration in its different forms.