Pax by Sara Pennypacker

  This was a middle grade book that I read for my coronacation challenge.  It is a beautiful book - a coming of age story about the love of a boy and his pet.  But it was also so much more than that.  It's like the modern day equivalent of the Yearling, but simpler perhaps.

Peter lives with his father.  His mother has passed from cancer.   Along the way, Peter finds a young fox whose family has been killed by coyotes.   He takes in the young kit, names it Pax and raises it.    Eventually, his father enlists in the military and Peter must go live with his Grandfather 300 miles away.  Part of the relocation involves releasing Pax back into the wild.

Once Peter gets to his father's, he realizes that he's made a terrible mistake and he plans a 300 mile journey to find his friend and bring him home.   Most of the story is about the journey and what happens to both Peter and Pax along the way.   They both grow and change. 

I spent a lot of time talking to my husband about this book.  I thought that the father's perspective wasn't well explained or developed.  Perhaps that was purposeful.  Peter has a naive, heroic view of his father that evolves through the course of the story.   Ending ultimately with "sometimes the apple falls very far from the tree."   This book gave me a lot to think about.  I gave it 5 stars and think it would be a great discussion for any middle grade class.