Mystery of the Missing Fox

Reviewed by: Phyllis Fuchs - Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 8, 2016

Review

Mystery of the Missing Fox is the third book in the Cooper & Packrat Adventures. Like the first two stories, this one is set in the Maine woods that belong to Cooper's family where they run their campground. The exciting discovery of a fox caught in an illegal trap on the campground's land followed by a sudden accident Cooper's dad experiences open the story. Before the book ends readers learn much about the lives of foxes, the complicated feelings of a caring family, and the affects on the close friendship between three boys when a fourth friend, a girl, is added to the trio. Frequent black and white sketches, often comical ones, enliven the two hundred pages of text. Each of the thirty one brief chapters begins with a pertinent fact about foxes. Readers also learn about Items such as a motion-sensor camera with a memory card that records, as in this book, the fox kits' activities when no humans are there to watch them. The book is recommended as lively, informative, middle grade fiction to readers of nine to twelve year olds of both sexes.

Overall Book Score: good