I really, really enjoyed The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman. Clare is a one-eyed fox that is not quite dead, but not quite alive. He lives alone in Deadwood Forest and shepherds souls to their final afterlife destination: Peace, Pleasure, Progress, or Pain. Clare’s work moves along routinely until one day a feisty badger, Gingersnipes, passes through his door, but is not able to pass into any of the afterlife realms.
Clare then embarks on a journey to learn why he is unable to shepherd the badger to the afterlife, and along the way he learns more about himself, his insecurities, and what it means to be good. The book is quirky, funny, sweet, and just downright enjoyable.
WHAT I LIKED
- The book is incredibly atmospheric; I felt like I was in Deadwood Forest myself!
- The characters Clare and Gingersnipes are so wonderfully developed
- There are lots of lovely, subtle themes: friendship, grief, love, acceptance, shame, forgiveness
- Black and white illustrations throughout
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
- That it ended!
I love, love, loved this book. I wholeheartedly recommend it to readers grades 3 through 7.
Have you read The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest? What did you think?
Birdie's Bookshelf 