Maybe a Fox

Beautiful but heart-breaking, this thoughtful examination of sisterly love and loss from co-authors Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee follows the story of Jules, a young rock-hound whose deep bond with her elder sister Sylvie has been a mainstay in her life, since the death of their mother some time before. When Sylvie, whose 'burning wish' is always to run faster, falls into the Slip - the point at which the local river goes briefly underground - and is never seen again, Jules and her father must once again face the terrible grief of losing a family member. Trying to deal with her own guilt - why didn't she stop Sylvie that day, when she disobeyed their father's rules, and sprinted to the forbidden Slip? - Jules must also contend with her show more best friend Sam, whose elder brother Elk is newly returned from the war in Afghanistan, and her promise to find the 'Grotto,' a legendary local cave where grieving people have been reputed for generations to leave offerings of rocks for their lost loved ones. Parallel to Jules' story, is that of Senna, a young fox who is born one of the 'Kennen' - special animals with a strong bond to the spirits, who come into the world to accomplish some specific purpose, usually involving a human being. As Jules and Senna's paths converge, tragedy and transcendence is not far behind, and the reader learns the significance of Sylvie's burning wish, and just who Senna is...

I finished Maybe a Fox on the uptown A-train, with tears trickling down my face. As is usually the case when I am deeply moved, it took me some time to process my feelings, and to marshal my thoughts for a review. I was attracted to the story initially because of the fox character - the depiction of foxes in children's literature is one of my research areas - but found the humans every bit as compelling. The co-authors here capture the strength of a sister's devotion, and the depth of pain at a sister's loss. They also, through the story of Elk, offer a sensitive depiction of the trauma of returning home from war. I was intrigued (naturally) by the character of Senna, and the idea of the 'Kennen.' Kennan is, of course, the German verb 'to know,' something the authors must surely have been aware of, and Senna is a fox with a heightened sense of knowing - of connection to the natural world, whether that be the forest, the catamount (Sam's obsession) or the bear. She is also a fox with a special connection to one human - Jules - just as the catamount has a special connection to Elk. I had certain preconceptions about what that would turn out to mean - I assumed that Senna was meant to be a kind of guide, something that is becoming more common, in fox stories. Instead, she is a sort of reincarnated form of Sylvie, and her self-sacrifice at the end of the book has a power and truth that I was not expecting.

A beautiful, beautiful book, Maybe a Fox is a book I will be pondering for some time. I would recommend it to fans of Appelt's other books - apparently some of its themes have also been explored in her previous titles - and to young readers interested in stories featuring family and close friend dynamics, and in the human connection to the natural world. show less

Oh my god, you guys, this book is so sad!
Beautiful and wonderful, but so, so sad. I almost had to skim read the ending because I was on the train and didn't want to cry in public.
I picked it up because the cover is beautiful, and the blurb sounded interesting, and I'd read a book by Kathi Appelt before and really enjoyed it ((The Underneath)). It was an impulse read and I'm so glad I picked it up.
It tells the story of Sylvie and Jules, two sisters who are very different. But very close. Their mother died suddenly, Jules' memory of her is fading, but Sylvie remember almost everything. They're dealing with that grief and that absence when Sylvie disappears and Jules is left behind.
And then there is Senna, a little fox cub born in the show more woods near the Sherman property. She is drawn to Jules for some reason.
It is just a lovely book. And although it does deal with some heavy topics, death and grief, it does so in such a beautiful way. I would highly recommend this book. Especially to any fox fans out there. Just be prepared for tears. show less

MAYBE A FOX by authors Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee is a heart-wrenching story. After older sister Sylvie is involved in a terrible accident at a place called The Slip, Jules, and her father are left to deal with the loss. As Sylvie leaves the earth, three kits are growing in the belly of a mother fox. One of her kits has a special connection called "Kennen." Events unfold and intertwine beautifully leading from grief to healing. The language is poetic and the symbolism is exceptional. MAYBE A FOX will tug at your heart. Have a tissue handy!

Is 2016 shaping up to be the Year of Sad or what? (See: [b:Raymie Nightingale|25937866|Raymie Nightingale|Kate DiCamillo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446751148s/25937866.jpg|45835163] and [b:Pax|22098550|Pax|Sara Pennypacker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1434493048s/22098550.jpg|41443759].)

By the way, total tangent, I unofficially dubbed 2015 the Year of the Grandparent: [b:Listen, Slowly|22477286|Listen, Slowly|Thanhha Lai|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1418764650s/22477286.jpg|41725865], [b:Circus Mirandus|23281919|Circus Mirandus|Cassie Beasley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1415585333s/23281919.jpg|41824344], [b:Goodbye Stranger|23615709|Goodbye Stranger|Rebecca show more Stead|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1439670673s/23615709.jpg|43219487], [b:Gone Crazy in Alabama|22836574|Gone Crazy in Alabama (Gaither Sisters, #3)|Rita Williams-Garcia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417982385s/22836574.jpg|42391493], [b:Bayou Magic|23197281|Bayou Magic|Jewell Parker Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413130729s/23197281.jpg|42742269], [b:Sunny Side Up|24612600|Sunny Side Up|Jennifer L. Holm|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1423543976s/24612600.jpg|44223650], [b:The Lightning Queen|25205301|The Lightning Queen|Laura Resau|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1457104810s/25205301.jpg|44917987], [b:Great Ball of Light|20537712|Great Ball of Light|Evan Kuhlman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425975239s/20537712.jpg|37781711], [b:In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse|24795887|In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse|Joseph Marshall|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425594754s/24795887.jpg|44431922], [b:Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer|22639675|Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer|Kelly Jones|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404420425s/22639675.jpg|42139665], and saving the best for (ahem) last, [b:Last Stop on Market Street|22521973|Last Stop on Market Street|Matt de la Pena|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1453342770s/22521973.jpg|41969141].

That was fun! I'd much rather list books I enjoyed last year than dwell on how depressed I am by this year's books. Honestly, Maybe a Fox isn't a bad book. Raymie and Pax aren't bad books either. But they're all so depressing. (Though not one of them actually made me cry, and I'm a crier.)

So here we go. This is a book about grieving. There are not one, not two, not three, but four deaths in this story. (I'm counting Sylvie's and Senna's deaths separately. I can't believe that poor girl had to die twice.)

There's a unique kind of spiritualism running through this book. You can call it mythic. You can call is animism. You can call it fantasy. It's hard to pin down and I suppose that's what makes it interesting. Jules and Sylvie often like to guess at what happens when you die. Maybe you turn into a star. Maybe you disappear. Maybe you fly to another planet. I don't think they ever say, "Maybe you go to heaven," or "Maybe you turn into a ghost," like one would expect. The clue to what actually happens in this book is right there in the title.

This is undoubtedly beautifully written, especially if you're into Appelt's signature style of simple, poetic repetitive phrasing. It did leave some loose ends dangling (they never find Sylvie's body, and the Zeke/catamount story fades away without resolution) but the main plot ties up in a mostly satisfying way. I think this will be appealing to fans of [b:The Underneath|2768169|The Underneath|Kathi Appelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347371015s/2768169.jpg|2793892] but I doubt I'll be recommending it unless a kid comes into the library and says, "Do you have any good books for morbid animal lovers?"

I listened to the audiobook, which I thought was very well done as read by Allison McGhee. show less

Did you even feel that animals and humans are connected in some spiritual way? This story began as a tragic series of events when 11 year old Jules's sister vanishes. The connection to Senna the fox is so beautiful. I loved this story! So beautifully written!

This book explores death from several angles and includes a spiritual component (if you choose to read it that way) or not, giving it a really broad appeal. The overlapping stories add another dimension.

It seems like the books I am choosing to read are all survival, emotional, coming of age stories. In this story, Jules and her sister Sylive live with their father. Their mother is dead. One day as she was bringing the groceries up to the house she crumpled and died. Sylvie ran as fast as she could to the neighbor's house. In her mind it wasn't fast enough. Jules collects rocks. She knows just about everything there is to know about them. She and her sister occasionally sneak off to throw rocks they have written their wishes on into the Slip. Their father has forbidden them to go there because it is dangerous. One morning after it snows the girls go out to build a snow family before the bus comes. Sylvie decides to throw a wish rock show more into the river. She doesn't return. Once again Jules is dealing with the grief that accompanies death. The other voice in the story is that of a fox who is born at the same time Sylvie dies. She is a special spirit animal connected to another being. The thoughts of Jules, the fox, Jules friend Sam and his brother Elk ring so true. It shows the range of emotions and the way that different people handle grief. The title comes from a game Sylvie and Jules played after their mother's death. They wanted to know what happened to you after you died. I won't say more than this because it would be way too easy to give too much away and this is a must read. Just make sure you have a box of tissues with you. show less