From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

Pax (Pax, #1)

Sara Pennypacker,

Jon Klassen (Illustrator)

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Oct 08, 2017 Molly rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, grad-school, borrowed, tears-warning, audiobook, read-in-2017

This was a curious reading experience. I knew I had a lot of driving ahead of me this weekend, so I decided to download some audiobooks of novels I have to read for class. This one was immediately available on Overdrive, and I just plugged in leaving Peoria, knowing nothing at all about the book, save the fact that it was about a fox (based on the cover). Within like 5 minutes I was almost in tears, because for some reason I have a very visceral reaction to people having to leave beloved pets be This was a curious reading experience. I knew I had a lot of driving ahead of me this weekend, so I decided to download some audiobooks of novels I have to read for class. This one was immediately available on Overdrive, and I just plugged in leaving Peoria, knowing nothing at all about the book, save the fact that it was about a fox (based on the cover). Within like 5 minutes I was almost in tears, because for some reason I have a very visceral reaction to people having to leave beloved pets behind. And there were so many other places where I found myself wanting to pull over on the tollway and sob. It is SO sad.

But then it also starts to get SO repetitive. My fox! My boy! My fox! My boy! I get it. And as so many reviews have pointed out, the ending is kind of a letdown. Yes, they find each other, but the resolution happens in a hot second. Peter's come all this way and then in an instant he decides Pax is better off in the wild? The hell? I mean...I guess he is? But what happens to Peter? Did he go home? Did Pax visit? Does he go back and see Vola? I also have serious questions about setting. The trenches say World War I, but the cars say World War II, as does Peter's wonder at Vola's lack of electricity. Plus the fact that she also fought in a war? I suppose it's reasonable that she could have fought in WWI? Maybe? But also what country are we in? At first I thought Vola was supposed to be Irish, but I think she's Italian? So many questions.

On the plus side, I loved the narrator. It's really well done, with distinct voices (and no weird, high pitched lady voices like some male narrators do). I also kind of liked the shift between Pax and Peter's narration. I just have a really hard time with animal stories in general, because I feel like they are always sad. Animals just don't live long enough. I am straight up DREADING having to read The One & Only Ivan for the same week of this class (it's animal week! Also known as cry into your pet's fur week). It doesn't help that I've been away from my dog since early Wednesday and he's tiny and red like a fox and reading this book just made me want to hug him. ...more

1 like · Like · see review