Pax is a children’s novel by Sara Pennypacker. It follows a boy named Peter’s journey to find his pet fox, Pax. He had found the fox all alone years ago, and taken him in. Since then, they had grown a very close bond with each other. 

Until the day that his father took Peter out for a drive.

Peter brought Pax with him, along with his favorite toy to play catch with. When they got out of the car, deep in the woods, Peter threw the toy.

When Pax came back, Peter wasn’t there. 

The rest of the novel follows Peter running away from home in order to find his fox again. It switches between Peter and Pax’s points of view, showing how the fox has become accustomed to his new life, meeting new friends along the way.

Oh yeah, and the whole book takes place during an unidentified war.

Peter is left at his grandfather’s home when his dad is drafted to join the fight as a soldier. Due to this, Peter is feeling more isolated than ever. He doesn’t have a very close relationship with his grandfather. Or his father. The whole family harbors their own anger towards one thing or another. Peter’s anger comes from his mother. Once, when he was young, he had gotten so angry that he broke his mother’s snow globe. As punishment, he had not been allowed to go grocery shopping with her. It was on that day, driving to the grocery store, that his mother had been struck and killed in a fatal car accident. Since that day, Peter had sworn to himself that he would never be angry again. He spent most of his time with Pax. So, when Pax is taken away from him, he makes the promise to find him. 

Pax is a children’s novel by Sara Pennypacker. It follows a boy named Peter’s journey to find his pet fox, Pax. He had found the fox all alone years ago, and taken him in. Since then, they had grown a very close bond with each other. 

Until the day that his father took Peter out for a drive.

Peter brought Pax with him, along with his favorite toy to play catch with. When they got out of the car, deep in the woods, Peter threw the toy.

When Pax came back, Peter wasn’t there. 

The rest of the novel follows Peter running away from home in order to find his fox again. It switches between Peter and Pax’s points of view, showing how the fox has become accustomed to his new life, meeting new friends along the way.

Oh yeah, and the whole book takes place during an unidentified war.

Peter is left at his grandfather’s home when his dad is drafted to join the fight as a soldier. Due to this, Peter is feeling more isolated than ever. He doesn’t have a very close relationship with his grandfather. Or his father. The whole family harbors their own anger towards one thing or another. Peter’s anger comes from his mother. Once, when he was young, he had gotten so angry that he broke his mother’s snow globe. As punishment, he had not been allowed to go grocery shopping with her. It was on that day, driving to the grocery store, that his mother had been struck and killed in a fatal car accident. Since that day, Peter had sworn to himself that he would never be angry again. He spent most of his time with Pax. So, when Pax is taken away from him, he makes the promise to find him. 

Pax by Sara Pennypacker is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Here In The Real World, by Sara Pennypacker, is a story about a young boy named Ware, who just can’t seem to fit into others’ expectations of him. He doesn’t want to, either. He prefers to stay just outside of crowds, like an onlooker instead of a participant. The people around him don’t really seem to accept him for who he is. Even his parents, as later revealed, wish he could just be “normal,” like all the other kids. 

His parents send him off to a summer camp, an idea he voices his disdain for. He even offers to PAY his mother not to make him go. This statement is what leads to the parents’ aforementioned wish.

His parents do not oblige, obviously, and off to summer camp he goes. Unfortunately for him, things haven’t changed from the last time he was there. The room still smells. The kids are still mean. And they all still have to do laps around the entire building in the blistering hot Florida sun.

It’s during these laps that the main plot of the book begins. 

Ware decides to make a run for the large, old tree behind the building. And he makes it. No one sees him run away. No one sees him climb the tree. And no one sees the old abandoned church behind the wall. Not the way he sees it, anyway. 

He sees a great castle, with a drawbridge and a solar calendar. He sees what he’s always wanted. A place to be alone. To be by himself. That is, until he meets Jolene, the girl who has already “claimed” the lot. She uses it to grow her own vegetable garden. 

Can they learn to get along, and share the space over the summer? Or will it all fall to pieces?

You’ll have to read the book to find out. 

Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker is available to download for free from Libby.