Fox Magic

Gr 4–6—Three seventh grade girls make a suicide pact. Two go through with it. The third girl, Chance, runs away and lives. Guilt about not keeping her dreadful promise overwhelms her. At first, nothing helps; neither her supportive parents nor her therapist can lift the all-consuming gray that keeps her immobilized and hurting. She plans to take away the pain by keeping her promise. Instead, her father gradually draws her back from the brink by his unceasing attention. Writing in a journal also helps. Then there is a fox that magically appears and offers her sanctuary. Brenna explores the dark side of middle school: the mean-spirited teasing and the daily bullying. Chance discovers that many other kids also have daily bad experiences; her class makes a bulletin board of all the hurtful notes. After a time, they decide to overlap the negative notes with notes of affirmation. This quick about-face seems an easy and unrealistic solution to a ubiquitous problem. The author doesn't dwell on the initial pact. There are no details on how the preteen girls met in the woods to carry out their pact.