A Game of Fox & Squirrels

Reese (the Above World series) sketches a poignant fantastical allegory focusing on the desperate tolls exacted by mental and physical abuse. When their father breaks Caitlin's arm, 13-year-old Caitlin and her 11-year-old sister, Samantha, are relocated from their parents' Los Angeles home to rural Oregon, where they will stay indefinitely with their estranged paternal aunt, Vicky, and Vicky's wife, Hannah. Despite the impossible rules and systems that she and Caitlin have grown up navigating, Sam can't understand why they have to "visit" Oregon; her favorite books have taught her that "heroes always home." After receiving the titular card game from Aunt Vicky, Sam is surprised when a wily fox named Ashander, as well as his emissaries, three friendly anthropomorphic squirrels, appear, offering her heart's desire--for a steep price. Yet Oregon isn't horrible, and Sam must decide whether fulfilling the fox's escalating ultimatums is worth disrupting the stable, love-filled life Caitlin and Sam are settling into. The accessible narrative presents generational trauma and its echoes unflinchingly, encouraging readers in similar situations to seek community and help from trusted adults. An author's note leads to a website with resources; final art not seen by PW. Ages 10-14. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Apr.)

Gr 5-8--An engaging blend of genres that will be different from most novels on middle grade shelves. Reese's latest blurs the lines of real and fantastical in the everyday world. Samantha and her older sister Caitlin are sent to live with an aunt they hardly know following a domestic violence incident. Both sisters are dealing with the move and the changes that surround them. When Samantha receives a gift of a board game called "Fox & Squirrels," her curiosity prompts her to open the box on the first night. After she opens it, Samantha starts to see the game characters in her real world. She must follow the rules of the game and complete the tasks asked of her to win a wish for anything she desires. She must decide how far she will go to grasp this ultimate prize. Reese blends intriguing fantasy elements with a realistic fiction plot. As the story progresses, clues are revealed about what was actually happening in the sisters' lives at home. At the same time, readers are drawn into the fantasy world of the game. The plot gains momentum as the mysteries of both the realistic elements and the fantasy world entwine. Readers who enjoyed Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane or Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan will want to play this dangerous game with Samantha. VERDICT A middle grade fantasy dealing with realistic issues that will be a solid addition to elementary or middle school libraries where either genre circulates well.--Elizabeth Pelayo, St. Charles East High School, IL

It's satisfying to watch Sam move from obedience born of self-preservation to being able to defy Ashander in order to protect others...the sympathetic heroine makes this a likable read with broad appeal. —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Once in an age, you read a book that is so true and so lovely that it's as if your own bruised and hopeful heart had come sailing into your hands in book form. A Game of Fox & Squirrels is that book for me. It is perfect. Sometimes magic happens: we needed this story in our world, and now it is here. —Anne Nesbet, author of The Cabinet of Earths and Daring Darleen

Hauntingly beautiful, funny, dark and true, and so full of magic and heart. This story will stay with me forever. —Stephanie Burgis, author of The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart

Jenn Reese is masterful in her delicate rendering of a vulnerable child navigating the boundaries of family loyalty. The story will quietly burrow its way into the hearts of the children who need it, inspiring bravery and truth. Unforgettable. —Tracy Holczer, author of Everything Else in the Universe

An important, moving book about resilience in the face of abuse, and about emerging from a very dark place into hope. —Sarah Prineas, author of Dragonfell

The way Jenn Reese illuminates a path to hope through dark times is what makes this book essential reading. —Greg van Eekhout, author of Voyage of the Dogs

"A Game of Fox & Squirrels overflows with courage, and it's willing to share." —William Alexander, National Book Award-winning author of Goblin Secrets