Foxspell

Todd is living a very troubled life, which causes him to be involved with a gang and do poorly at school, but after he buries a dead fox, a fox-spirit offers him the chance to become a fox himself and Todd must decide what is the best thing for him to do in his situation.

Grade 5-9?In this intriguing novel, Rubinstein combines a compelling family story with spiritual fantasy. Tod, 12, lives with his sisters, mother, and grandmother in a small Australian town. Unable to make sense of his father's desertion, he becomes fascinated by the surrounding countryside and by the fox that prowls there. Eventually, he meets a spirit fox that allows him to transform into an animal himself. Tod relishes his experiences as a fox and appreciates the insight they provide. As a human, he is threatened and courted by a gang; teased; and lost in a family filled with clashing, independent spirits. As an animal, there are no decisions for him to make and he fits in with the world. On the other hand, the violence of wild creatures conflicts with his human feelings. His dilemma is riveting, but Rubinstein's strong characterizations are the true highlight of this book. All of the characters are well drawn and true to life. The ending is dramatic and unresolved: after a friend dies in a gang-related accident, Tod is torn between facing that death or embracing the fox world forever. Readers never learn what he chooses. The lack of resolution may frustrate some readers, but it is thought-provoking and will provide excellent material for discussion.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A 12-year-old boy confronts the disintegration of his family by transforming himself into a fox in this striking novel from Rubinstein (Galax-Arena, 1995, etc.). When his father flees home to England, Tod moves with his mother and sisters from Sydney to the South Australian countryside, where they settle in with their crusty but spirited grandmother. The transition for Tod is difficult: While his mother pursues a career as a standup comic in seedy bars and his sisters bicker, he attempts to continue his schooling, in spite of learning disabilities and an overcrowded classroom. Rubinstein vividly evokes pastoral Australia, while supplying a wealth of information on foxes that brings the cunning animals alive. She even weaves in aboriginal myths: Tod eventually meets the legendary half-man/half- fox Dan Russell, who offers him the chance to live the life of a fox. Although he first resists, Tod is soon hunting rabbits and eating raw animal flesh and relishing the experience. Readers will find the fantastic aspects of the character's journey satisfying and be sobered by the metaphor of a young boy who survives contemporary family life only by becoming an animal. (Fiction. 10+) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 7^-9. His father's abrupt departure has meant radical changes in 12-year-old Tod's life. Financial problems have forced his family to move in with his grandmother, adjusting to a new school has been difficult, and he is being pressured to join a local gang. He finds refuge in the hills surrounding a quarry near his grandmother's home. His kindhearted burial of a fox killed by the gang initiates a wondrous relationship with Dan Russel, a fox spirit who haunts the quarry and tempts Tod with an offer of peace and immortality if he will assume a fox shape forever. Foxspell doesn't have the overwhelming sense of menace that made Galax-Arena (1995) so powerful, but the tension builds quickly and relentlessly, culminating in a dramatic, unexpected ending that leaves readers wondering whether Tod will reconsider Russel's offer. Chris Sherman