Maybe a Fox

Worlds collide spectacularly when Newbery and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt and Pulitzer Prize nominee and #1 New York Times bestseller Alison McGhee team up to create a fantastical, heartbreaking and gorgeous tale about two sisters, a fox cub … and what happens when one sister disappears.

Sylvie and Jules, Jules and Sylvie. Better than just sisters, better than best friends. Jules’ favourite thing is collecting rocks, and Sylvie’s is running – fast. But Sylvie is too fast, and when she runs to the most dangerous part of the river one snowy morning to throw in a wish rock, she is so fast that no one sees what happens when she disappears. At that very moment, in another part of the woods, a shadow fox is born: half of the spirit world, half of the animal world. She, too, is fast, and she senses danger. When Jules goes to throw one last wish rock into the river for her lost sister, the human and shadow worlds collide with unexpected consequences. Written in alternate voices – one Jules, the other the fox – this searingly beautiful tale tells of one small family’s moment of heartbreak as it unfolds into something epic, mythic, shimmering and, most of all, hopeful.

Review

[…] gently beautiful story […] So tenderly written, with the woods of Vermont and its creatures conjured as the human characters, this is the perfect book for 10-year-olds-plus to curl up with on a winter’s night. * The Belfast Telegraph * an intriguing tale of loss * The Herald * So tenderly written, this is the perfect book of 10-year-olds plus to curl up with on a winter’s night. * Gloucestershire Echo * a stunning book about grief, loss and a fox that will no doubt win many prestigious awards. Grab the tissues; this is a heart-wrenching, magical read. * Sunday Independent, Dublin * “[…] a sweet story of loss and grief with old legends of spirit animals in a deceptively simple and beautifully written novel. […] The writing is simple but evocative and brings the power of nature to life as well as the strength of the emotions and the love between the girls and their father. […] The pace of the story keeps the reader immersed despite the weighty issues and soon Jules and Sylvie’s story, as well as storylines from their friends, merges with the story of Senna and the animal world to a satisfying denouement.” * The School Librarian *

About the Author

Kathi Appelt is the author of the Newbery Honoree, National Book Award finalist and bestselling The Underneath as well as the National Book Award finalist The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, Keeper, and many picture books, including Counting Crows. She has two grown-up children and lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband. Visit her at KathiAppelt.com.

Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of Someday, as well as Firefly Hollow, Little Boy, So Many Days, Bye-Bye Crib, A Very Brave Witch, and the Bink and Gollie books, which are co-written with Kate DiCamillo. Her other children’s books include All Rivers Flow to the Sea and Snap. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota; you can visit her at AlisonMcGhee.com.