Starred review from November 16, 2015
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. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

Starred review from November 1, 2015
A motherless boy is forced to abandon his domesticated fox when his father decides to join soldiers in an approaching war. Twelve-year-old Peter found his loyal companion, Pax, as an orphaned kit while still grieving his own mother's death. Peter's difficult and often harsh father said he could keep the fox "for now" but five years later insists the boy leave Pax by the road when he takes Peter to his grandfather's house, hundreds of miles away. Peter's journey back to Pax and Pax's steadfastness in waiting for Peter's return result in a tale of survival, intrinsic connection, and redemption. The battles between warring humans in the unnamed conflict remain remote, but the oncoming wave of deaths is seen through Pax's eyes as woodland creatures are blown up by mines. While Pax learns to negotiate the complications of surviving in the wild and relating to other foxes, Peter breaks his foot and must learn to trust a seemingly eccentric woman named Vola who battles her own ghosts of war. Alternating chapters from the perspectives of boy and fox are perfectly paced and complementary. Only Peter, Pax, Vola, and three of Pax's fox companions are named, conferring a spare, fablelike quality. Every moment in the graceful, fluid narrative is believable. Klassen's cover art has a sense of contained, powerful stillness. (Interior illustrations not seen.) Moving and poetic. (Animal fantasy. 9-13)

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Starred review from December 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-A viscerally affecting story of war, loss, and the power of friendship. Pennypacker, author of the exuberant "Clementine" series (Disney-Hyperion) and the charmingly morbid Summer of the Gypsy Moths (HarperCollins, 2012), here displays not only her formidable writing skills and a willingness to stretch her storytelling into increasingly complex narrative forms but also her ability to tackle dark and weighty themes with sensitivity and respect for the child reader. Set in an intentionally undefined time and place that could very well be a near-future America, the novel opens with a heartbreaking scene of a tame red fox, Pax, being abandoned at the side of the road by his beloved boy, Peter. Perspectives alternate between the boy and the fox, and readers learn that a terrible war rages in this land. Peter's father is about to leave for the frontlines, and while he's away, Peter must live with his grandfather out in the country-and his father makes it clear that there is no place for Pax in Peter's temporary home. Almost as soon as he arrives at his grandfather's, Peter is overcome with guilt, and he sets off under the cover of darkness to trek the 300 miles back to his home, where he prays he'll find Pax. The loyal fox, meanwhile, must figure out how to survive in the wild-though never losing hope that his boy will return for him. As the protagonists struggle to reunite in a world in the grip of violence and destruction, they each find helpers who assist them on their respective journeys: Peter breaks his foot and is rehabilitated by Vola, a hermit suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, while Pax is taken in by a leash of foxes who teach him the basics of foraging and hunting. Pennypacker doesn't shy away from some of the more realistic aspects of war, though she keeps most of the violence slightly off-screen: in one scene, the wild foxes define war for the naive Pax as a "human sickness" that causes them to turn on their own kind, akin to rabies; later, as the battle creeps closer, several creatures are maimed and killed by land mines. Black-and-white drawings by Klassen offer a respite for readers, while adding to the haunting atmosphere.With spare, lyrical prose, Pennypacker manages to infuse this tearjerker with a tender hope, showing that peace and love can require just as much sacrifice as war. VERDICT A startling work of fiction that should be read-and discussed-by children and adults alike.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Peter and Pax, his pet fox he found as a kit on the day of his mother's funeral, are inseparable. That is, until Peter's dad enlists in the military and Peter is forced to abandon Pax before moving to his grandfather's house. Almost as soon as he gets there, however, he slips out, determined to hike the hundreds of miles back to where he left his pet. Not long into his journey, he is injured and reluctantly taken in by Vola, a war veteran and amputee who stubbornly lives on her own. In chapters from the fox's point of view, Pax struggles in the wild until a grizzled old fox agrees to help him get home. Pennypacker alternates between Pax's and Peter's perspectives, while the simmering war between unnamed countries grows dangerously close to home. As she slowly reveals secrets about Peter's and Vola's pasts, she sensitively and engagingly explores questions about anger, wildness, isolation, and family. Meanwhile, both fox and boy grow in unexpected ways. While there's a lot of emotional complexity here, the focus is solidly on the earthy, tense wilderness adventure, which is likely what will draw young readers most. Pennypacker's expert, evenhanded storytelling reveals stunning depth in a relatively small package. Final illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Klassen not seen.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Pennypacker is no stranger to the New York Times best-seller list, and with award-winning Klassen in the mix, this adventure story should easily find a wildly enthusiastic audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2016
Twelve-year-old Peter and his pet fox have been inseparable since Peter rescued Pax as a kit. Now Peter's father has enlisted, and there's no room at Grandfather's house (where the boy will be staying) for a fox, tame or otherwise; Peter's father forces his son to release Pax into the wild. Heartsick, Peter soon decides to run away to find Pax. He stumbles onto the land of a woman named Vola, a hermit who reluctantly helps the boy regain his strength after an injury and whose own tragic backstory gradually emerges. Omniscient third-person chapters alternate between Peter's story and that of Pax, who falls in with a young vixen, her fox-kit brother, and an aging alpha who takes Pax under his protection as the fox tries to find his boy. Pennypacker's setting is stark, the details of time and place intentionally murky, with occasional textured black-and-white illustrations by Klassen playing up scenes both ordinary-seeming (a boy in a baseball dugout) and subtly menacing (flowers trampled into the ground). Just because it isn't happening here doesn't mean it isn't happening reads the book's epigraph, and readers are kept off-balance throughout as soldiers, including Peter's father, amass and prepare for an unnamed war against unidentified combatants that's poised to take place practically in Peter's backyard. An emotional, thought-provoking story of conflict, loyalty, and love. elissa gershowitz

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

December 1, 2016

Gr 4-7-With moving prose, Pennypacker tells an unusual, viscerally affecting story of war, loss, and the power of friendship. Alternating perspectives between a boy and his pet fox, the novel tracks each character's quest to reunite after their forced separation in a conflict-ridden landscape. Klassen's black-and-white drawings add to the haunting atmosphere of this startling title that children and adults will want to discuss together.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"Pax the book is like Pax the fox: half wild and wholly beautiful." — New York Times Book Review

"Moving and poetic." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Pennypacker's expert, evenhanded storytelling reveals stunning depth in a relatively small package." — Booklist (starred review)

"In an exceptionally powerful, if grim story, Pennypacker does a remarkable job of conveying the gritty perspective of a sheltered animal that must instantly learn to live in the wild." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A startling work of fiction that should be read-and discussed-by children and adults alike." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"An emotional, thought-provoking story of conflict, loyalty, and love." — The Horn Book

"Sometimes an author steps aside from a popular series to break new ground, as evidenced in this arresting novel, at once a wilderness adventure about survival and a philosophical foray into big questions." — San Francisco Chronicle

"Pennypacker's elegant language and insight into human nature spin a fable extolling empathy above all. By the novel's poignant ending, Pennypacker has gently made the case that all of us should aspire to that view—children and adults alike." — Time magazine

"Searingly honest and heartbreakingly lovely, Pax is, quite simply, a masterpiece." — Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award-winning author of The One and Only Ivan

"A sweeping and enchanting wartime story of trust, loyalty, betrayal, and the love of a boy for the fox he's raised since he was a kit. A master storyteller, Pennypacker leads the reader along a path of shifting hopes to the story's heart-wrenching conclusion." — Ann M. Martin, Newbery Honoree, author of Rain Reign

"Pax is set in an unspecified time and place so that the details of the war are unimportant. What is prime is the graceful but haunting story of boy and fox—their relationship set against man-made chaos." — Columbus Dispatch

"Both boy and fox experience the kindness of others even with the backdrop of imminent war." Recommended 2016 Holiday Gift for Tween Readers — Brightly

"A book that is as much about dealing with loss as it is about how people change and affect the world around them."An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 — Entertainment Weekly