A Game of Fox and Squirrels

Jenn Reese's Above World trilogy is a beloved set of books in this house. My daughter still has all her original copies on her favorite books shelf 8 years later. (One of three series that remained from elementary to high school when others were moved to other rooms as she grew older.) When I discovered a new MG by Reese would be coming out this year, I was so excited. Little did I know the emotional journey in store for me while reading this devastatingly beautiful book.


You can try to plan for the Fox. You can save up your cards for him instead of trying to prepare for winter. Many people do. They spend so much time worried about the Fox that they forget about the rest of the game entirely. But remember: you never know when the Fox will appear, or what kind of Fox he will be when he does. And by then it will be too late.

Samantha (Sam) has just arrived in Oregon with her sister Caitlyn. They are moving in her with their Aunt Vicky and her wife Hannah following Caitlyn suffering a broken arm due to their father's abuse. Aunt Vicky and Hannah live in a wood, own chickens, and Aunt Vicky's business partner has a friendly son named Lucas the same age as Sam. Sam isn't interested any of it. She is convinced she will not be there long. All she wants is to be back in L.A. by the time school starts. When her aunt gives her a card game for her birthday, Sam is intrigued by the beautiful cards containing adorable squirrels. She is particularly enthralled by the charming Fox card. Ashander The Fox has noticed Sam as well. Coming to introduce himself, Ashander offers Sam a deal. Go on a quest in the wood for him to capture the Golden Acorn, and she can have any wish she desires. Sam immediately sees an opportunity to fix her broken family. As the days pass, the quests get more difficult and demand more of Sam. How can she succeed when the Fox keeps changing the rules? And what will she do when Ashander asks her far more than she is willing to sacrifice?

A Game of Fox and Squirrels is a vivid look into the mind of a child who has experienced trauma and is trying to figure out the next step in her world. Sam is suffering from a bit of cognitive dissonance as she starts out her time in Oregon only thinking of the good memories with her parents and desperately planning to get back to them. As her story continues, Sam proves herself to be brave, strong, and in need of a place in the world where she can be loved without fear. Sam's encounters with Ashander bring out her scarier memories of home as the Fox acts out the trademark behaviors of most abusers, continually changing the rules of right behavior and using compliments and sparing affection as weapons. But she knows the rules. Stay loyal. Stay quiet. Do nothing to disturb the peace. Finding strength in the books of fantastical quests that she loves, Sam understands what a true heroine needs to do to make things right.  Sam's increasing desperation and fear are difficult to read at times, but with her Aunt and Hannah she has found a place she can rest and experience love. Throughout the story Vicky, an abuse survivor herself, reaches out to Sam in the best ways. It is this plus Sam's love for her sister that finally give her the courage to face the harsh realities of her world and find hope and a home.

All of the character relationships in the novel are well done. Sam and Caitlyn have a relationship built on surviving. They have a methodology and a routine to interacting with people and protecting each other, though the role of protector typically falls to the older Caitlyn. Sam feels the need to become the protector once they're in Oregon, and she falls further and further into the Fox's game. As the story unfolds and the girls adjust to their new reality, their relationship changes shape too. Caitlyn accepts and embraces their new life faster, which creates tension, but opens Sam's eyes to who her sister truly is and could be. Vicky is suffering from memories of her own childhood. She is determined to give the girls a good home and break the pattern of violence. She is still terrified. Hannah is brilliantly supportive through all of this and great with the girls. The support system in this book is rounded out by neighbors Armen and Lucas, who are excellent friends. (Armen is a wonderful father who is doing a fantastic job raising his son.) This character relationships are the heart and soul of this book, and nothing I say about them can adequately describe the nuanced layers Reese was able to develop in each character and their relationships to each other.

What is truly amazing to me is how well Reese pulled off a beautiful story of finding hope in darkness, the true meaning of family, and looking at childhood trauma in 215 pages that include the rules to a card game she created herself. Her sentence level writing is top level craftsmanship. Every page uses its words to their fullest capacity. She winsomely and unflinchingly tells so much story in a short novel. That is a true feat of talent.