Dowell, Frances O’Roark The Second Life of Abigail Walker 240 pgs. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2012. $13.17. (Rating: G)
Rotating chapters between the point of view of a watching, intelligent, and perhaps ancient Fox and a 6th grader names Abigail. Abigail is a bit overweight and gets made fun of at school; she tries to avoid the “middle” girls and instead becomes friends with some of the boys. She also finds a new friend on a nearby yet somehow previously unknown farm. Abigail spends much of her time trying to help her new friends father. This father, Matt, is trying to heal from his time at war.
Hands down one of the strangest books I have read in a long time. I am sort of at a loss to describe how poorly everything came together. Abbie is pathetic and wishy washy. The addition of the damaged veteran dad is just a bit off putting. Abbie sort of has a crush on him, and spends time alone with him, trying to help him. Although the description of the book ties this to her developing some inner gumption, I didn’t see it. The chapters about the fox were uber bizarre and I am a big fan of fox mythology. (Trickster Tales are my favorite!!). Nothing really comes together and I won’t recommend this mess to students.
ELEMENTARY -ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie School Librarian & Author.
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