I heard about this book because the author was interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered. (Check out the interview here: http://www.npr.org/books/authors/466274743/sara-pennypacker)
The interviewer asked Pennypacker something like, "Why do kids start crying within the first five minutes of reading this book?" That should have been my clue to NOT read this book because I detest books that have sad animal stories. (Please read my 2008 post about asking a librarian if the dog dies at the end of Because of Winn-Dixie.) But instead of listening to my instincts, I checked it out from the library.
I took it home and sometimes Boomer will pick up a book of mine and start reading it just to see what I'm reading. Without knowing anything about Pax (I hadn't even started reading it yet), he picked it up and read the first few pages. Then, with tears in his eyes, he handed it to me and said, "I cannot read this book. It's already making me cry." Ut oh, I thought.
So yes, this book is a real tearjerker. The first part is sad, and so is the ending. I finished the book at our kitchen table with tears streaming down my face. Sigh. This is why I don't read books about animals!
Anyway, it's the story of a boy and his pet fox. It's sad. This is one book that really could have used an Epilogue. There were some loose ends and characters that I needed more follow-up on.
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