Peter and Pax are inseparable.
Peter is 12 years old and Pax is the fox he rescued when he was a kit.
When Peter’s dad enlists in the army, he makes Peter return Pax to the wild.
Peter is heartbroken.
Before Peter can make it through one night at his grandfather’s house, he realizes what he’s done and starts his journey back to Pax. He readies himself for the 300-mile journey and runs away. Peter says, “I’m not running away from home, I’m running away to home.”
And the story begins. Peter sets off to find Pax and Pax begins an adventure of his own as he discovers how to survive in the wild with the help of his new animal companions.
New York Times bestselling author Sara Pennypacker, artfully weaves their journeys together as each chapter alternates between Peter and Pax’s point of view. Pax is a chapter book with black and white illustrations by Jon Klassen scattered throughout to help tell the story. Written for middle graders and recommended for 8–12-year-olds, the content of the book would be best for a child who can handle the complexity of emotions that war, loss, and grief can bring up. Even though Peter and Pax learn about the negative consequences of war, the book also teaches us about caring deeply for others, how special an animal/human bond can be, and what it means to discover who you are in the face of adversity.
This book was heartfelt, honest, and moving. I loved learning how foxes communicate and sense what their “humans” need and seeing the world through the eyes of an animal. Witnessing Peter’s transformation as he come to terms with his feelings of anxiety, anger, and grief was a beautiful thing to experience.
I would highly recommend this epic novel to a child in your life and you may be surprised to find out that you’ll love it as much as they do. If you’re a teacher or parent who wants to go deeper into the meaning of the book, I’d check out the Discussion Guide and Classroom Kit at HarperCollins.
After reading the excerpt at the end of this book, I can’t wait to find out what happens next and get my hands on the sequel to this novel.
Helps with: friendship, loyalty, grief, loss, understanding human/animal companionship, empathy, perseverance, dealing with hard issues in life, consequences of war, dealing with anxiety, learning about veterans and PTSD, survival skills, identifying your truth and self-discovery.
Author: Sara Pennpacker
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2016