Pax, Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker

The two central characters of Pax, a “best of” book from 2016, work their way back to each other with a more positive resolution.

Pax, Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker with illustrations by John Klassen. Balzer + Bray, 2021, 256 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-14

Pax, a much-buzzed book of 2016, told the parallel quest story of a boy and his pet fox. At the beginning of the novel, Peter’s father is going off to war and is sending the motherless boy to live with his cranky grandfather. Peter is forced to set Pax, the fox he rescued and raised, into the wild, where he fears his domesticated pet will be easy prey. The story ends with both parties finding a home after adventures in the wild, but in the meantime there’s a devastating war going on in which Peter’s father is killed.

We weren’t enthralled with Pax: it struck both Betsy and me as the kind of book adults like but kids don’t necessarily. Besides, it’s fairly grim with a depressing view of humans and their destructive ways.

Pax, Journey Home redeems some of that grimness. The war’s over, but Peter is still struggling with guilt over letting Pax to, as well as unresolved issues with his dad. He defies the responsible adults in his life to join the Water Warriors, an organization dedicated to restoring the lakes and rivers polluted by warfare. Meanwhile, Pax has acquired a family. When their den is threatened, he sets out to scout a new place for them, unaware that one of the kits, the only female, is following him. As he can’t send her back on her own, he takes her along, using the journey to instruct her in the ways of the wild.

As Pax and Peter unknowingly work their way back to each other, they encounter the usual dangers, but it’s a much more positive picture. Humans can destroy, but they can also reclaim. Human knowledge saves the day for Pax, and human love heals Peter’s heart. God’s creation receives the reverence owed to God, but responsible stewardship is a worthy theme.

Considerations

• Two of Peter’s fellow water warriors are a boyfriend and girlfriend who aren’t married, though living together. They get married in the course of the story, though.
• One curse word (considered “mild,” these days) from Peter’s crusty grandfather.

Overall Rating: 3.75

• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: More questing animals for 8-12 year-olds: A Nest for Celeste, The Littlest Voyageur, and Little Bird.
• Reflection: See Emily’s “Parent’s Guide to Environmentalism in Kids’ Literature.”

We are participants in the Amazon LLC affiliate program; purchases you make through affiliate links like the one below may earn us a commission. Read more here.