Hartman, Aubrey. Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, The. Marcin Minor, Illus. Little Brown, 02/2025. 313pp. Fiction. Trade $17.99. 978-0-316-57572-0. GRADES 3–5. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Clare is a fox with the job of Grim Reaper for animals; he takes pride in ushering their souls to one of four afterlife options best suited to their personalities: peace, pleasure, progress, and pain, from his home-base cottage in the Deadwood Forest. The various animal characters rely partly on species’ stereotypes and some anthropomorphism, although they are unrelated to human identity groups. Readers will be drawn into the dramatic plot when Clare and a recently dead, unwelcome badger named Gingersnipes go on a dangerous quest to soothe Clare’s disquietude, and to stop the taunting by human children on Halloween. Side stories, such as the mushroom business Clare runs with local rats, add humor. Each chapter opens with a slightly creepy b&w illustration depicting an upcoming action, like a teaser for the storyline, which lets readers feel included. Captivating and thought-provoking, this would work as a readaloud for families with children ages five and up who enjoy the faintly macabre, seek stories that teach compassion, and are willing to wrestle with family teasing, parental abandonment, and of course, death and the afterlife.
Erica Siskind—Oakland Public Library