What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
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The Fiend Next Door
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. Children's fiction. Girl finds a brown puppy that turns out to be a fox cub. Hides it from parents, in garden shed. Read in 1990s. [s]
bookel wrote: "Fox friend by Michael Morpurgo?"Thank you, but it's not the one, I'm afraid. It seems like in Fox Friend the protagonist is aware from the beginning that it is a fox cub, whereas in the one I remember both the girl (and the reader) thinks it's a puppy at first. And Fox Friend has a tragic ending for the fox, which the one I'm thinking of doesn't.
Bump! I still haven't found the answer.
Were there any illustrations in this book?Anything about the cover?
Part of a series?
Time period/location story takes place?
How far into the book is it revealed to the reader that the dog was a fox?
Tab wrote: "Were there any illustrations in this book?Anything about the cover?
Part of a series?
Time period/location story takes place?
How far into the book is it revealed to the reader that the dog was a..."
I can't remember if there were any illustrations, or anything about the cover, unfortunately. If there were illustrations they would have been black and white, not too many of them - it wasn't a picture book.
I can't remember if it was part of a series. It's possible.
The setting was contemporary to the time I read it.
The reveal was towards the end, at least in the second half.
Rainbowheart wrote: "Cub in the Cupboard?"Thank you, but that's not the one, I'm afraid. Like with Fox Friend, they know from the beginning that it's a fox, but in the book I remember it's a surprise at the end for both the reader and the characters.
It makes it that much harder to find, becuase I don't think it will have 'fox' or 'cub' in the title, or a recognisable picture of a fox on the cover.
bookel wrote: "Your search will have to be more general I am guessing, looking for a book about a pup/puppy. Was it new at the time? To help narrow the search years for a timeframe."Yes, I've tried searching without 'fox' as a keyword but still no joy.
I would have borrowed it from the library so I'm not sure if it was new, but it didn't feel dated when I read so it was probably published in the 80s at the earliest.
Searched http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/li...What about
The tin can puppy by Wendy Orr?
https://www.wendyorr.com/book/the-tin...
The Tin Can Puppy
bookel wrote: "Searched http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/li......"That looks promising! I don't immediately recognise the cover and I can't find a description that includes the twist, but the puppy does look suspiciously fox-like... I will order a second-hand copy and check. Thank you!
Not all editions have the same cover or are shown online. Hope that's it.
bookel wrote: "Searched http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/li......"Update: It's not The Tin Can Puppy. The book arrived and I read through it, and the puppy doesn't turn out to be a fox. Thank you again for your help!
One for the elimination list. Thanks for the update! Never give up. It took me a long time before I found some of mine.
Bumping this again, just in case...
Mod
Keep bumping. It has taken several years for some books to be found. I know this from personal experience. So keep bumping faithfully!
Kate wrote: "Becca ~~Keep bumping. It has taken several years for some books to be found. I know this from personal experience. So keep bumping faithfully!"
Thank you! I'm trying not to bump more than once a month - I really do appreciate everyone's help!
Still looking for this. Another book I've ruled out is Fox Farm by Eileen Dunlop, which has the opposite story - boys find fox cub and keep it in secret, but it turns out to be a puppy. I thought I might have got muddled but I remember the book being much lighter in tone than this sounds, and I distinctly remember the 'puppy' changing from brown to red and becoming more fox-like - it's how I learned that fox cubs are brown when they're young.
Hah, Fox Farm (republished as Foxy) just came to mind before I opened the post. Don't give up, it takes persistence.
bookel wrote: "Hah, Fox Farm (republished as Foxy) just came to mind before I opened the post. Don't give up, it takes persistence."Thank you! I have a nagging feeling that it might not even be the full plot of the book but rather one part of something more episodic e.g. the My Best Fiend series by Sheila Lavelle, where the characters get into 3-4 scrapes / scenarios per book. (There is a Fiend book with dog incident that I thought might be it, but what happens in that one is they 'rescue' a stray who isn't actually a stray and are accused of dognapping.)
Bumping this again, just in case...
this is probably wrong but The Christmas Dog by Jan M Robinson? I can't remember if it was a fox but it looked like one
Kendalyn wrote: "this is probably wrong but The Christmas Dog by Jan M Robinson? I can't remember if it was a fox but it looked like one"Thank you - all guesses appreciated! I've looked at a summary and I don't think this one is it - the dog seems to just look like a fox, and it sounds like it's from the perspective of the dog rather than the child.
Rainbowheart wrote: "Orphaned Pup?"Good find, I don't think I'd come across this one in my searching! But I've found this description of the plot -
'Sara, 12, is not too sure about her new stepfather. She feels that he and her mother pay more attention to her younger brother. When she finds a stray dog and takes care of him, she is reluctant to ask her mother and stepfather if she can keep OP (Orphaned Pup) because her stepfather wants a dog with ``good bloodlines.'' The truth finally comes out that Sara is hiding a dog; her stepfather, mother, and brother accept OP; and they all live happily ever after'
- so it looks like the puppy is a puppy, and they keep it in the end. Thank you for keeping on with the search, it's very much appreciated!
No worries. I thought it looked like a regular dog on the cover, but thought I'd suggest it just in case.
Bumping this with additional details - they might name the puppy/cub Bruno, because it's brown.I have vague memories of a collar and lead being made out of string and unsuccessful attempts to take it for a walk, because it's a wild animal rather than a domesticated one.
Bump - still looking for this one!
Mod
Kris wrote: "Becca, what name does the child give to the animal?"I mentioned this a few comments up - I think she might call it Bruno, because of its brown colour, but could be misremembering / thinking of something from another book.
Charlie Coppins?Almost nothing about this book online, but it's British and various covers show a boy and a fox.
Rainbowheart wrote: "Charlie Coppins?Almost nothing about this book online, but it's British and various covers show a boy and a fox."
Thank you! All suggestions are appreciated, even if they're a long shot. I've ordered a copy so will update this thread when it arrives and I've read it.
Update: The copy of Charlie Coppins arrived and it's not the one, but at least I've been able to add a description for that book.Thanks again for all your help, everyone!
Thanks for the update!Good Lord, was that supposed to be a cat on the cover?
Haha I'm not sure! There is a fox cub at one point in the story - Charlie kidnaps one to use as a model for a carving of a fox that he gives to his dad as a present. Then a pack of fox-hunting dogs chase Charlie because he smells like fox. It's a strange book!
Omg I KNOW this book. I remember the cover! It's brown/tan and it has a girl holding a puppy/cub. I feel like I got it through the scholastic book fairs.
Becca wrote: "Haha I'm not sure! There is a fox cub at one point in the story."Let's hope the illustrator was going for that! ;)
Rachael, oh, that's a good clue. Did you grow up in the UK?
I didn't, in the US, but... had a ton of animal based fiction, a lot of which was based in other countries. I thought this one was US based though. hmmm... will keep thinking.
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Fox Farm (other topics)My Wolf, My Friend (other topics)
Cub in the Cupboard (other topics)
My Best Fiend (other topics)
Orphaned Pup (other topics)
More...
The story was about a girl (possibly a boy, but I believe it was a girl) who finds a brown puppy. She hides it in her garden shed because she knows her parents won't let her have a dog. The puppy starts to grow and its fur becomes redder. Her parents eventually find out and they realise it is a fox cub, not a puppy. I think they release it back into the wild or take it to a wildlife sanctuary - it was a happy ending for the fox.
Any help very much appreciated!