The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest is a thoughtful, touching, and gently humorous speculation about the afterlife.

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman. Little, Brown, 2025, 320 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 8-15

An unfortunate encounter with a motor vehicle ended Claire’s life before it had much chance to begin. The accident damaged one eye and mangled his fur, so he’s not much to look at. He’s also haunted by the fact that his mother must have abandoned him on the roadside. For all that, though, his current existence isn’t bad. For some reason he was selected by the Afterlife to be an usher: a creature neither all the way dead nor all the way alive, who guides expired souls to their eternal realm. The four realms are Peace, Progress, Pleasure, and Pain, and as an usher Claire possesses the insight to determine which is best suited for every animal who knocks on his door.

In between ushering, he tends his mushroom garden and barters the produce with the local rats at the dump. That’s how he acquired the monocle to disguise his bad eye (also useful for starting fires) and a purple velvet cloak. In these he cuts a rather dashing figure, if tragically doomed. For the ushering gig won’t last; in time he will have to hand it off to another and travel to his own eternal realm. And that, he suspects, is Pain: a fitting destiny for anyone as ugly and unloved as he. “Every soul ends up exactly where they belong.”

Claire’s placid routine is upended the day he opens his door to a badger. Not his favorite animal to begin with, and this particular badger is annoyingly cheerful as she insists on prying into his business. He would get rid of her as quickly as possible, but she comes back from every realm he points her to. This has never happened. He has no choice but to join forces with this irritating person (“Why haven’t you asked me my name? It’s Gingersnipe”) and figure it out together. The answer, as it emerges, seems to point to his greatest fear.

The force that brings these two together and guides their quest is the Afterlife (always capitalized), otherwise known as the Universe. We would call it Providence. The answers Claire and Gingersnipe are seeking actually abide within themselves, to be brought out by the other—for we know ourselves best through relationships. The theme of destiny and souls getting what they deserve is not a Christian view, but the distinctives would be worth talking over. And there’s opportunity for that, because The Undead Fox is a perfect read-aloud on chilly nights befitting its autumnal setting.

Bottom line: Appealing characters, compelling storyline, dashes of humor and ideas to think about.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: Lola, recently reviewed, is a sensitive portrayal of grieving and guilt.
• Reviews: Five recommended picture books addressing the subject of death for young children.
• Reflection: Is Bridge to Terebithia too sad?

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