The Midnight Fox: 1 (Faber Children's Classics)

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Not much action, but lots of insight into the quiet 9-year-old only child who seems to explore mainly with his eyes. I did not like to open a bookcase, especially with someone watching, and know that I had to take one, HAD to. Every student with an imagination will be able to relate to this boy and the black fox he befriends. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work.

In “Lion-Child and Cow-Child”, both of the main characters are on a journey to leave their animal pasts behind. Byars' unexpected bits of pre-teen humor (the doll's head that Tom and his friend silently hide in one another's rooms) add the perfect flavor of amusement to an otherwise melancholic story.The choice he makes in the end seems easy as an adult, but not so much so when I then think about it from my students’ perspectives. Tom settles in quickly with Aunt Millie (who is actually his cousin) and Uncle Fred, as well as their teenage daughter Hazeline. Throughout, Tom is an intriguing character, built of so many different elements that he often surprises. My other issue with this story is that not much really happens plot-wise, which I suppose is a result of most of the pages being dedicated to Tom’s aforementioned thoughtfulness and insight. We understand that not everyone can donate right now, but if you can afford to contribute, we promise it will be put to good use.

For a child used to exciting video games and the flashy images on a television screen, this story may be a bit slow-paced; but it is beautifully written! The Droughtlanders by Carrie Mac is a futuristic version of the world which has been divided into two parts. Fascinated, watching for the fox keeps him occupied the entire summer, as it just gets hotter and hotter, his 'aunt' gets crankier due to the heat, and their daughter Hazeline has her ups and downs with her fiance.The lightning flashes, the world is turned white for a moment, and I see everything as it was - the broken lock, the empty cage, the small tracks disappearing in the rain. When he arrives, he finds the farm every bit as strange and uncomfortable as he feared - that is, until the appearance of the black fox. Some of the best parts of The Midnight Fox are insights that arise from Tom's way of thinking, how he connects concepts that to most would seem unrelated.

Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. Although Tom didn't want to go to the farm he soon finds out that being on an old farm isn't so bad. I have no idea what message Byars was trying to send with this whole scenario, but it didn't come off very well. One star removed because of the older cousin's obsession with her weight and the fact that she goes back to her boyfriend who breaks up with her unless she "loses 20 pounds.

The Midnight Fox is a lovely and simple story about nine-year-old Tom whose parents have decided to go on a biking tour of Europe. In the book Animal Farm and the book The Pearl, the two characters, Napoleon and the Doctor, created a theme that greed can change their perspective. most of the book is him thinking about or telling his aunt and uncle about things he does with his best friend.