What An Adventure!

The White Fox Chronicles by Gary Paulsen

I like this book. In many ways it is a book about tough decisions. I first read it with my younger son when he was 10. I enjoy Gary Paulsen’s writing, but was unfamiliar with this book. If I’d known more about the book, we would have waited a couple of years to read it. Instead I had a lot more explaining to do, and some of it was very difficult. Even so, this book is one of my son’s favorites. He begged me to read it with him, and when I didn't have the time, he even read it on his own. That alone makes it golden for me.

The book is set in the year 2057, and after many wars, the United States has been invaded by the CCR (Confederation of Consolidated Republics), conquered and enslaved. There are very few resistance forces, and they are ineffectual. In the opening scene, Cody Pierce is in a prison camp in an unknown arid western state of the U.S.

Cody Pierce, a 14 year old orphan from California, is every boy’s hero. He is smart and sharp. He is fluent in the CCR language and understands his captors well enough to fool them completely. He has an impressive set of skills and the desire to learn whatever he needs to survive, and more importantly, to succeed in his mission—saving the prison camp children. Cody is tough. He endures torture, near starvation, loss of friends, desert environments, combat, doubts, disappointment, and near death. He’s also lucky, something we all wish we had. He meets good, strong friends who help him, train him and rescue him just when he needs it. Intelligent, tough and lucky—Cody is irresistible.

What makes this book difficult and engaging are the decisions such a young boy faces. Early in the book, Cody has to decide whether to include a recent prisoner, a pilot for the resistance, in his escape plan. Cody’s partner, an adult prisoner named Luther, is against it. The pilot is badly injured, and her inclusion could jeopardize their escape. Cody understands the logic, but realizes how important the pilot’s escape is. Here is an excerpt from the escape scene:

“Go on,” Luther whispered. “If I’m going to play the hero, I don’t want it to be wasted.”

Numbly Cody followed the major down the tunnel to the opening and helped her out. Then he squirmed up behind her and started running.

They could hear more shouting. In moments the sound of machine-gun fire came from the camp. Cody turned. The spotlights were focused on the fence and he could see the outline of Luther’s lifeless body hanging from the top of the barbed wire.

Cody felt a hand slide inside his own and pull him along. “Come on, kid. He didn’t die so that we could stand around. We need to keep moving.”

Paulsen is clear, almost blunt, in his descriptions of the unpleasantness of this world. However, he is not graphic, as so many of the movies and games today are. We “see” what happens, but we are not forced to dwell on it. What the reader faces as he/she follows Cody is:

• violence in many forms,
• deciding who to trust (though this is usually clearer than in reality),
• consequences of one’s actions (Cody must defend himself or be killed in many instances),
• death of friends, and
• staying committed in the face of overwhelming odds (age, ability, environment, etc.).

The White Fox Chronicles was published over a year before 9/11. When I first read it, I immediately thought of the movie, Red Dawn. There is a strong, appealing theme of patriotism and loyalty in Paulsen’s story that matches the feelings following 9/11. I want my children to be able to survive and to desire to help others. I found the story exciting and inspiring. Even though there are issues difficult to explain, what a great opportunity to share with my child and to make that child think about things we all value.

[Thank you, Carmen, for the research on publication date.]

For My First Book . . .

Igraine the Brave, by Cornelia Funke

With the recent release of the DVD movie of her novel Inkheart , Cornelia Funke has increased her readers, I’m sure. I enjoyed the movie–family friendly. I hadn’t read any of her work, so I decided to try it. You know, books are always better.

My choice, and my first book for my blog, was Igraine the Brave. If your children like brave resourceful heroes, talking animals, dragons, bad guys destined to lose, and castles with all kinds of magical defensive features, then they will love this book. The main character is a girl, so some boys may not want to read it (I know mine wouldn’t). I also think that a younger audience, early elementary, would be best as a group of listeners. The chapters are short and there is lots of humor. Igraine is sassy, stubborn, but good-hearted and loyal. Here’s a quick summary:
It is Igraine’s birthday, and her parents, two well-known sorcerers, are creating her birthday present with the help of their singing magic books. When the spell goes wrong, Igraine sets out to get the ingredients for a spell to set things right. That is exactly when a greedy neighbor attacks the castle to steal the books.

There are many colorful characters, including animals, and who is on the side of good and bad is easy to see. There will definitely be some older children, girls in particular, who will enjoy reading the book for themselves. It is a bit predictable, but many fairytale type stories are, and that is not a bad thing with young readers. If you stop at the end of a chapter at bedtime, your final comment can always be, “What do you think will happen next?” Kids will usually have it all figured out, and from a teacher standpoint, this is great practice for reading exercises they may have to do in school. Besides, they love being right!

I would definitely read this book again. The edition I read was only 212 pages with adorable illustrations by the author. I love books with strong female characters. Igraine is only 12 and she is not solely responsible for how the events unfold, but she is without a doubt the heroine. Go girls!