This classic title by award-winning Betsy Byars richly deserves its attractive reissue. Capturing a boy’s fascination with a fox he befriends when he is sent away to stay on his aunt’s farm, it sensitively depicts a journey of discovery for a lonely boy. Tom is sure he will hate everything about being on the farm but from the moment he first sees the beautiful black fox he is captivated by her. Finding out about the fox brings him to take a greater interest in the farm. Suddenly he sees that it is a place full of excitement and opportunities. When his uncle goes after the fox, Tom knows he has to get involved. Can he save his new friend?
And then, this afternoon,' Uncle Fred said to me, 'you and I'll go after the fox.' Tom, a town boy, is horrified when his parents tell him he has to stay on Aunt Millie's farm while they are away. He finds country life every bit as strange and uncomfortable as he feared. But soon, he discovers a rare black fox with green eyes, living with her cubs in the forest. Suddenly, the summer is full of excitement. That is, until Uncle Fred decides to go after the fox - will Tom save her and her family in time?
Byars was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 7, 1928. Unlike many of the characters in her books, Byars grew up in a normal, loving family. Her father was an engineer and worked as a bookkeeper in a cotton mill. He was stern and hardworking and had a strong sense of humor. Her mother was a lively woman who loved acting and music. Byars's sister, Nancy, two years older, was sometimes an inspiration and sometimes an evil nemesis.
Byars's personal experiences and observations, and those of her children, are the sources of much of her fiction. As a child, she lived part of the time in the country and part of the time in the city, so she had a variety of experiences. She has vivid memories of her school years and of teachers, friends, and bullies. Many of them show up in her fiction.
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