Pax by Sara Pennypacker is an interesting concept where there are joint narrators - a boy and a fox. Peter, the boy, saved Pax, the fox, when he was a kit and they have grown up together. But war is coming, and motherless Peter is persuaded by his unsympathetic father to release Pax into the wild, as the father has enlisted and Peter is to be sent to live with his grandfather. Pax doesn't understand why he has been abandoned and hangs around for days waiting for Peter to return, not eating (as he doesn't know how to hunt) and barely drinking. Peter immediately regrets what he has done especially as he realises that Pax will be in the path of the oncoming hostilities. He runs away, determined to rescue Pax and be reunited with his best friend. Both Pax and Peter have difficult and dangerous journeys ahead of them - Pax must learn how to survive in the wild and tap into his innate "foxness"and Peter must overcome injury and distance to find redemption. Beautifully illustrated by the glorious Jon Klassen, this is an emotional book, with two very distinct voices (I especially liked the fox), but with a common purpose. The backdrop of war and its consequences provide a threatening undercurrent of violence and futility, but we never lose hope that the love the two main characters have for each other will win out. This may be aimed at the younger reader, but there is more than enough here for everyone to enjoy - especially if you have ever wondered what it might be like to think like a fox!
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library as an ebook.
