Independent Reading Level: Grades 4-7
Awards: New York Times Bestseller, Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year (2016), National Book Award Longlist

Reads very much like a Newbery Honor book. However, the short chapters told in alternate points of view drove me nuts, flashing by so fast I felt no time for development, no time for reflection.

Not enough pictures, especially when the two page spread seemed to me to be of no significance or artistic value. Other pix were good though.

Not particularly recommended to adults, tbh, unless it's already on your list. ( )

"How many kids this week, he wondered, had woken up this week to find their worlds had changed...? Their parents gone off to war, maybe never coming home. That was the worst, of course. But what about the smaller loses? How many kids missed their older brothers or sisters for months at a time? How many friends had to say good-bye? How many kids went hungry? How many had to move? How many pets had they have to leave behind to fend for themselves? And why didn't anyone count those things? People should tell the truth about what war costs. Weren't those things the cost of war, too?"

I didn't really know what this book was about, but vaguely remember seeing it in the GoodReads Choice awards list last year. I didn't read the book blurb, and based on the cover I anticipated some of "Homeward Bound" or sweet coming-of-age sort of story. I downloaded the audio for my daughters and I to listen to, and it turned out to be too intense for my sensitive 10 year old.

The story centers around a young boy who must give up his pet fox when his widowded father goes to war and the boy goes to live with his grandfather (we never know whey they live -- geography or time period -- or why thy war is happening). After staying with his grandfather for a short period of time, the boy runs away to traverse hundreds of miles to go back and find the fox.

The story is told in alternating chapters from the boy and fox's point of view. Overall the book is dark and kind of frightening. There are moments of poignant moments, but I would not recommend for sensitive children. ( )

A little harsh on the realities of life, but the characterizations and relationships are captivating. ( )

Jeez, here I go again, not really digging another big release of 2016 by an author I love (see my review of [b:Raymie Nightingale|25937866|Raymie Nightingale|Kate DiCamillo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446751148s/25937866.jpg|45835163]). What is up? I don't know. Maybe I'm just not the right reader for such major bummer, sadsadsadness right now.

My biggest issue with this book is that the setting is completely ambiguous and I struggled with it throughout the book. When and where does it take place? In what world is there a little league game taking place a few miles from a war zone?

It's also become a really tired cliche for a sad kid to randomly meet a magical friend who fixes them (and, of course, the kid fixes the friend, too). I could go a good ten years without reading another story where that is a major plot line. Peter and Vola are both characters with a lot of backstory, but I still didn't feel like they had real depth. They both came off as flat portrayals of sadness and guilt personified.

I don't mean to vent about this book, because it did have some good parts (e.g. Pax's POV), but as I sit to write this review I'm just frustrated that both Pennypacker and DiCamillo have disappointed me so far this year. Ladies, I love you, but you're bringing me down. ( )