#1: Pax
"I have peace here.""Because it's so quiet?""No. Because I am exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing. That is peace."
Pax
Sara Pennypacker
Illustrations by Jon Klassen
Year Published: 2016
Pages: 276
Genres: Middle-grade fiction, adventure
Topics: War, nature, animals, finding yourself, PTSD, recovery from trauma
Recognition:
Summary
At the age of 7, Peter rescued an orphaned fox kit and named him Pax. Five years later, the two have become inseparable, Pax acting as a source of comfort to Peter in his uneasy relationship with his gruff, distant father. As war approaches, however, Peter’s father enlists, forcing Peter to move in with his grandfather and leave Pax to fend for himself in the woods.
Wracked with guilt at the abandonment, Peter runs away from his grandfather’s house, determined to find Pax. On the way, he meets Vola, a disillusioned ex-soldier and army medic. She helps heal and strengthen Peter for his journey as he, in return, learns the depths of her guilt over her own actions in war.
Pax, meanwhile, also resolves to find “his boy,” fascinated by the wilderness around him even as he struggles to survive in it. He encounters other foxes, some who agree to help him, others who shun him. As he grows more accustomed to his own wild nature, he discovers the truth of what the “war-sick” humans are doing to the land, its creatures, and each other.
Pax and Me
I encountered Pax in a 6th-grade classroom, where the first chapter was excerpted in a textbook. I was struck by Pennypacker's rendition of the nonhuman world through the careful balance of familiarity and otherness.
While I expected to read a well-told animal adventure story, I wasn't prepared for the novel's candid and emotional discussion of war and its consequences. For a middle-grade book, I thought the relationship and interactions between Peter and Viola were refreshingly mature, though sometimes heartbreaking. The setting is intentionally vague to support the story's sense of universality: Pennypacker opens the novel with the epigraph "Just because it isn't happening here doesn't mean it isn't happening." As with many animal stories, there are some tearjerking moments, but they all serve the story's greater theme of acknowledging the impacts of war.
Teaching Considerations
Mature Middle Grade: Pax is a middle-grade novel, intended for readers 8-12. The story's mature themes, though, along with some of its vocabulary, probably push it toward the higher end of that range. I encountered Pax in a 6th-grade classroom, and I think that might be the perfect age for it.
Whole Group: I think Pax's subject matter and comparatively short length would make it a great whole group read, especially because it might be helpful to have an adult guide students through some of the discussions of PTSD. In my experience, many early adolescents also tend to still love animal stories, so there's a good chance a lot of students will enjoy much of the novel.
Point of View: The novel's narrative point of view alternates between Pax and Peter with each chapter, and the two perspectives are different but similar enough to make the novel a great tool for teaching point of view and perspective.
War and Trauma: By combining serious themes with the familiar children's story framework of the animal adventure, Pax is a great catalyst for discussion of themes of war and trauma with younger readers.
Sensitive Content: Pax is a novel about war. It contains some graphic descriptions of violence against animals and frank discussions of PTSD and violence against people.
Read-Aloud Passages
- The fox felt the car slow before the boy did, as he felt everything first. ... He pulled his pet back to him and gripped his baseball glove more tightly. (Chapter 1, pp. 1-2)
- The reader is introduced to Pax and his unique, nonhuman way of understanding the world. An excellent passage for discussing point of view.
- Peter's anxiety began to stir. ... "And that fox ... well, it's time to send him back to the wild anyway." (Chapter 2, pp. 14-15)
- Peter wrestles with his anxiety and ruminates on his connection with Pax. The passage is a concise way to introduce his character's struggles.
- "I was lost my first day as a civilian." ... "I found another little true piece of my old self." (Chapter 14, pp. 126-129)
- Vola describes her PTSD and her loss of her sense of self to Peter. It's a powerful passage that encapsulates some of the novel's more mature themes.
- The mouse emerged and retreated twice more. ... He was part of it all, free. But not alone. (Chapter 25, pp. 232-234)
- Pax learns to hunt and finally feels truly at home in the wild. This a climactic point in Pax's character arc and a joyful moment in a part of the novel filled with darkness.
Liked Pax? Try These:
- Pax: Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker (2021)
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)
- White Fang by Jack London (1906)
- A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry (2019)
I like the quotes you use under the cover image of your book reviews. I've never heard of this novel, I may have to check it out. Because it is so mature, do you think this is a good "transition" book from middle schoolers to high schoolers?
ReplyDeleteHi Joe, thanks for commenting! I think this book is probably geared a little young for high schoolers, but I do think middle schoolers could definitely enjoy it, especially if they already like animal adventure stories.
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