Skip to main content

Red Fox Road

 

By Frances Greenslade
Toronto: Puffin Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, 2020. Fiction.

Francie and her parents are traveling to the Grand Canyon from British Columbia, Canada, when they decide to take a shortcut given to them by their GPS. An old logging road that looks like no one ever travels down it. When they are deep in the forest, their truck hits a giant rock that causes it to stop working. Francie and her mom wait by the truck while her dad continues down the road on foot to find help. He promises that he will be back in a few hours. At first Francie is excited to put her survival skills to use, but as time goes by, Francie and her mom get more and more worried. Then after a couple of days, Francie wakes up and her mom is gone too, and has left her a note on the truck telling her to stay put. She is completely alone, in the middle of the woods. 

For those who love survival, adventure stories, this is the perfect book. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire novel, just waiting to see how everything would resolve. The details that the author included, made me feel like I was there in Francie's shoes experiencing what she was. I also loved how the author weaved wilderness survival skills into the story, making it an educational read as well as a suspenseful adventure. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Mixed-Up Owl

The Mixed-Up Owl  Written by Marzena Sowa Illustrated by Joanna Lorno New York : Hippo Park, 2025. Picture Book. When Owl can't sleep at night, he heads off to see if any forest animals can help him understand why, and even more so, how to fix it!  Unfortunately, all the animals Owl runs into at night are asleep and all the animals he meets during the day are too rude or too busy to answer him.  Will Owl give up or will a chance meeting with a grumpy hedgehog provide all the solutions Owl was looking for? The premise of an owl trying to stay awake during the day because all the other animals around him do is very fun. Kids who know that owls are nocturnal will get a kick out of Owl's confusion and be quick to try to tell him what's going on.  Readers who don't know many facts about owls (or nocturnal animals in general) will get a brief introduction to the different ways animals sleep. The illustrations are charming, especially cute Owl and his expressive body langua...

Five Fives: Friendship

Friendship is such an important part of life! I love to have my friends to celebrate life's victories with. When I am having a rough time, I also rely on the strength of my friends. Picture books are a great way to talk to kids about friendships. With a new school year just around the corner, I think talking with kids about friendship and how to be a good friend is so important. These five books have friendships in them that might help facilitate discussions with your people! Love Grows Here By Amy Adele New York : Magic Cat Publishing, 2025. Picture Book. In this sweet story, there is a lovely garden that an elderly couple tends to with joy in their heart. When the woman is sent to the hospital for an extended stay, the animals that love the garden worry it won't be the same. But through grit and determination and teamwork, they work together and do what friends do best: take care of each other! The illustrations are absolutely amazing and will have kids enthralled with all of...

Review: Bug on the Bus

Bug on the Bus By David Catrow New York: Holiday House, 2026. Easy Reader.  Bug and many other creatures big and small hop onto the bus. A silly little bus driver witnesses the arrivals, and all is fine and well until Skunk joins the crew! Hilarity and fun ensue. This story is simple, but exciting. Early readers will be sure to love it! This book was a uniquely well done easy reader, as it is truly fully accessible for the most beginning reader! It is filled with simple words, many only three letters long. While it is filled with simple words, the story is fast paced and sure to please everyone listening. As an added bonus, the illustrations are charming and silly, which adds a lot to the book as a whole. Make sure to check this out for any budding readers in your life!