Pax
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4.3 • 17 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
A moving story of the extraordinary friendship between a boy and his fox, and their epic journey to be reunited. Beautifully illustrated by multi-award winner, Jon Klassen.
Pax was only a kit when his family was killed and he was rescued by ‘his boy’, Peter. Now the country is at war and when his father enlists, Peter has no choice but to move in with his grandfather. Far worse than leaving home is the fact that he has to leave Pax behind. But before Peter spends even one night under his grandfather’s roof he sneaks out into the night, determined to find his beloved friend. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their journeys back to each other as war rampages throughout the country.
A profound and moving story with stunning illustrations by award-winning illustrator, Jon Klassen, ‘Pax’ is destined to become a classic in the vein of ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and ‘Watership Down’.
Reviews
‘Pax the book is like Pax the fox: half wild and wholly beautiful.’ New York Times
'A heart wrenching masterpiece about the relationship between a boy and his fox' The Guardian
'A touching story about a boy and his pet, as well as a depiction of the devastating and often unseen consequences of war' Book Trust
‘A beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the powerful relationship between a boy and his fox.’ Sainsbury’s Entertainment
‘Every moment in the graceful, fluid narrative is believable … Moving and poetic.’ Kirkus
About the author
Sara Pennypacker is the author of the award-winning, New York Times best-selling Clementine series, the novel ‘Summer of the Gypsy Moths’, and the picture books ‘Pierre in Love’, ‘Sparrow Girl’, and ‘Meet the Dullards’. She lives in the US. You can visit her online at www.sarapennypacker.com.
Jon Klassen is a Canadian writer and illustrator of children's books and an animator. He won both the American Caldecott Medal and the British Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration, recognizing the 2012 picture book ‘This is Not My Hat’.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Peter found Pax, a fox, when he was an orphaned kit, and he has kept him as a pet since his mother's sudden death, five years earlier. Now Peter's stern father is bound for an unspecified war one fought at least partly on domestic soil forcing 12-year-old Peter to move in with his grandfather, and to release Pax. It takes less than a night for Peter to become overwhelmed with remorse by morning, he is hiking hundreds of miles to the spot where he reluctantly abandoned Pax. The aftermath of that separation is told in chapters that alternate between the fox and the boy's points of view. In an exceptionally powerful, if grim story, Pennypacker (Summer of the Gypsy Moths) does a remarkable job of conveying the gritty perspective of a sheltered animal that must instantly learn to live in the wild ("Orphaned before he'd been weaned, Pax had never eaten raw prey. His hunger rose at the blood-scent and so did his curiosity"). Both boy and fox encounter characters who drastically rearrange their worldview: after Peter is injured, he is taken in by Vola, a veteran who has lost a leg and has strong feelings about the true costs of war. The opening scene promises heartbreak that the rest of the story delivers, as boy and fox journey to reunite, each dramatically altered by what it takes to get there. Art not seen by PW. Ages 8 12.
