MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY/HORROR FICTION: Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian Heidicker
ABOUT THE BOOK
The haunted season has arrived in the Antler Wood. No fox kit is safe.
When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who hungers for their flesh, a witch who tries to steal their skins, a ghost who hunts them through the snow . . . and other things too scary to mention.
Featuring eight interconnected stories and sixteen illustrations.
REVIEW
I'll admit, I've never read a book quite like this one. It's truly unique. Seven young fox kits sneak out to visit the storyteller in Bog Cavern. They believe they are ready for the tales she has to tell. Each of the seven tales revolves around one of two young kits, Mia or Uly. Mia faces a yellow menace, Uly, the ugliness of his own sisters and their scary threats. Other threats come their way as they struggle to survive. After each tale, a listening kit flees for home. Will any of them make it to the end of the stories?
One of the fascinating things about this book is the way Heidicker combines horror tropes (zombies, witch, vampire, ghost, etc.) with actual fox research. It makes for a remarkable combination of stories of fox survival and scary stories about monsters. The intricate way the stories are woven together was amazing. It's not hard to see why the book was awarded a Newbery Honor. The writing is excellent and the storytelling superb. The design of the book adds to the dark atmosphere with black pages of white text alternating with white pages of black text as the story moves between the tales and the storyteller and kits. The black-and-white illustrations help create tension.
For young readers who enjoy scary stories with twists they aren't likely to see coming, I can recommend this one. However, I would point out that because of the realistic nature of some of the events of the story, there is some rather graphic violence (life in the wild can be quite violent after all). For some young readers, the scary nature of the stories will be too much. With that caution in mind, I found the story a fascinating combination of realism and fantasy, an interesting take on life as a fox.
Great review, I think you're spot on. This was one of my favourite reads last year.
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