Leila and the Blue Fox: An enthralling, uplifting adventure story from the creators of JULIA AND THE SHARK

Product Information

The story explores serious issues such as the environment, migration, family dynamics, and mental health. I wasn’t a very big fan of the mother-daughter relationship in this book (especially compared to the one in Julia and the Shark which felt a lot more fleshed out).

To Julia and the reader her behaviour is disturbing and irrational, until it is revealed that she is bipolar. Julia and the Shark left both my son and I longing for more and we have consumed Leila and The Blue Fox with just as much page turning wonder and awe thanks to the beautiful text and stunning illustrations. Come with an Arctic fox on a breathtaking journey … an enthralling story from the bestselling, award-winning creators of Julia and the Shark. She’s a graduate of both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and lives in Oxford with her husband and cats, in a house between a river and a forest.Alongside the exploration of the wild, we get two complicated mother-daughter relationships as the extremities of the trip increase the tensions over what is valued more.

The story of a young Syrian girl's struggle to find her place is weaved in seamlessly with the story of a migrating fox trying to survive in a changing world. Based on the true story of an Arctic fox who walked from Norway to Canada in seventy-six days, a distance of two thousand miles, this compelling, emotional and beautifully illustrated story is perfect for readers of any age. I loved Julia and the Shark, their first collaboration and was, very excited to learn of Leila and the Blue Fox.Leila and her mother's situation and relationship is complicated and far from perfect, so as well as the story of Miso the fox and her travels across the Arctic, we have Leila's story coming to terms with what had happened to she and her family in the past, and with who her mother is and her mother's choices (as well as her own). These details breathe life into each environment, making them more than just a backdrop to the story. Moreover, as their journey continues and both humans and the fox encounter peril, the stories interweave so deftly, making for a stunning read. They have been a couple and collaborators ever since, but Julia and the Shark was their first novel.

She started writing poetry in her final year at university, producing three poetry books and a play before she turned to fiction. The story has the message of environmental damage and climate change, but it also has a very strong parallel with Leila’s own history. Leila’s mother, like Julia’s mother in Julia and the Shark, is determined to the point of obsession to track the incredible journey of a small blue fox.

Around this time last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing Julia and the Shark ; the first collaborative efford of Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston. It remains one of my top books of 2022, so I knew I had to fit Leila and the Blue Fox into my reading list as well. This is a multi-layered tale of a girl dealing with a tough personal situation at home, alongside a story of our natural world and Miso the Arctic Fox, an endangered species. I loved the Paw prints edging the pages too)Amazing how this was based on the true story of Anna who actually did cross a continent.

Kiran cleverly takes the journey of a fox, Miso in this story and tells it parallel to the healing journey of a mother and daughter as they track the fox. These poetic prescriptions and wise words of advice offer comfort, delight and inspiration for all; a space for reflection, and that precious realization - I'm not the only one who feels like this.

Mainly, set on a boat in the Arctic Circle, this book is perfect for ages 8-11 who like heartwarming adventure stories. Her debut YA novel The Deathless Girls was published in 2019, and was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, and long listed for the CILIP Carnegie Medal.