Foxspell [Paperback]

Gillian Rubinstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1994

Twelve-year-old Tod's mystical links with a spirit, half man and half fox, and with the natural world surrounding his grandmother's house in the Australian countryside challenge his attempt to adjust to the real world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9?In this intriguing novel, Rubinstein combines a compelling family story with spiritual fantasy. Tod, 12, lives with his sisters, mother, and grandmother in a small Australian town. Unable to make sense of his father's desertion, he becomes fascinated by the surrounding countryside and by the fox that prowls there. Eventually, he meets a spirit fox that allows him to transform into an animal himself. Tod relishes his experiences as a fox and appreciates the insight they provide. As a human, he is threatened and courted by a gang; teased; and lost in a family filled with clashing, independent spirits. As an animal, there are no decisions for him to make and he fits in with the world. On the other hand, the violence of wild creatures conflicts with his human feelings. His dilemma is riveting, but Rubinstein's strong characterizations are the true highlight of this book. All of the characters are well drawn and true to life. The ending is dramatic and unresolved: after a friend dies in a gang-related accident, Tod is torn between facing that death or embracing the fox world forever. Readers never learn what he chooses. The lack of resolution may frustrate some readers, but it is thought-provoking and will provide excellent material for discussion.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-9. His father's abrupt departure has meant radical changes in 12-year-old Tod's life. Financial problems have forced his family to move in with his grandmother, adjusting to a new school has been difficult, and he is being pressured to join a local gang. He finds refuge in the hills surrounding a quarry near his grandmother's home. His kindhearted burial of a fox killed by the gang initiates a wondrous relationship with Dan Russel, a fox spirit who haunts the quarry and tempts Tod with an offer of peace and immortality if he will assume a fox shape forever. Foxspell doesn't have the overwhelming sense of menace that made Galax-Arena (1995) so powerful, but the tension builds quickly and relentlessly, culminating in a dramatic, unexpected ending that leaves readers wondering whether Tod will reconsider Russel's offer. Chris Sherman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hyland House Publishing (September 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1875657320
• ISBN-13: 978-1875657322
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,962,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unusual but engaging story. Definitely worth reading., December 7, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Foxspell (Hardcover)

Red foxes were brought to Australia in the nineteenth
century, dragged from their native land against their will.
Tod, a young Australian boy, was also dragged from
his native land against his will when his family moved
across the country to live with his grandmother. The
foxes survived in a hostile land; whether Tod can do the
same is the focus of this book.

Ms. Rubinstein paints Tod's family in vivid strokes, the
Australian landscape no less vividly. She brings the
supernatural elements into the story so subtly at first
that by the time the *really* unusual things start
happening, they blend right into the flow of the narrative.
Against this backdrop, Tod wrestles with the frustrations
of being displaced, of watching his family try to hold
together, and of being forced into a mold he doesn't fit
in school. The problems are familiar to any teenager, or
anyone who's ever been one.

Tod's struggles are mirrored by the local foxes. No
attempt is made to glamourize their lives -- they are
shot at and hunted by the local gangs, looked down upon
as pests and invaders by almost everyone, and hated by
the farmers. Yet they survive because they must.

Their lives and Tod's intersect when he buries a dead fox
he has found strung up on a fence. His respect earns him
a visit from a fox spirit, who offers him the chance to
become a wild fox. This escape from his troubles is very
attractive, at first, but he finds that his human ties are
not so easy to give up. His deliberations, and the
resolution of the book, are very well done.

The supernatural and the natural are strong forces in
"Foxspell." The natural elements are well-researched
and accurate (from Australian fauna to fox behavior), and
the supernatural is well-integrated and not too pervasive.
It leaves plenty of room for the human story. However, if
you have a particular aversion to either of these two
subject areas, this book is probably not for you.

Any review of this book would be incomplete without some
mention of the writing. Ms. Rubinstein's style is clear,
evocative, and powerful. She not only tells a good story,
but she tells it well. The subject matter may not appeal
to everyone, but if you like what I've written about in
this review, have no doubts that you will enjoy reading
"Foxspell."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing tale of reality entanlged with the spirits., July 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Foxspell (Hardcover)

In this story, Tod finds himself troubled by many things. when he compassionatly burries a fox in the ground, the fox spirit offers him a deal. that Tod can come perminatly Fox and escape the complications of the human world. As a fox, Tod loves every minute, but when he returns to his human form, he regrets everything.

The only bad thing about this book is that it is a little confusing at the end.

5.0 out of 5 stars Literally, this book casts a spell on you..., April 27, 2009

By 

Dan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foxspell (Paperback)

I thought this book was amazing. It's one of those books best read in a room by yourself. The characters are unique, the plot strange and twisting, and the book is never boring. I know some people complained about the last scene, but I think that any more writing would have taken away from the power, the darkness, of the scene. Read it. It's well worth the time.