Children's booksChildren's books This article is more than 7 years old

Pax by Sara Pennypacker – review

This article is more than 7 years old

‘I slowly made my way through this book and I wanted it to last forever, because it was simply the most calming and beautiful thing I have ever read’

A heart wrenching masterpiece about the relationship between a boy and his fox. Peter is a 12-year-old boy with a fox as a pet; his fox is named Pax. But when war strikes, Peter’s father goes to war and Peter is left at his grandfather’s house. But the worst part is that he is not with fox because Pax is in the wild.

On a desperate mission to find his fox, Peter escapes and begins the long journey to find Pax. But meanwhile Pax is having many adventures of his own and it is getting more and more unlikely of either of them ever seeing each other again….

This book is like a cake. What I mean by that is this book is meant to be eaten in small portions and each portion is to be cherished and enjoyed. I slowly made my way through this book and I wanted it to last forever, because it was simply the most calming and beautiful thing I have ever read and the illustrations are amazing.

Each time I finished my portion for the day, I would feel strangely relaxed and calm. This book really lets you unwind. If you’re feeling stressed or angry just read a chapter of this book.

And the contents of this cake are also as good as they look. The story is set out perfectly and each chapter alternates between Pax and Peter; this way you are reading two stories at once and at the end the two stories join together.

There is a perfect balance of action and peace and sometimes you have to wait for the good parts to come but it’s always worth the wait.

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The book is very descriptive and the flurry of ideas clearly stands out. I would recommend this book for ages 9 and up because there is a little bit of a war theme and a character’s history may frighten younger children but if those parts were taken out this could easily be for ages 7 and up. If you like a story with friendship, animals, great characters and a little bit of war then this book is for you.

3/5 stars.

Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop

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