The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson - ADVISABLE

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson, 243 pages. Kelpies (Floris Books), 2018. $10. 

Language: PG (3 mild swears); Mature Content: PG (kids smoking, stealing); Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Caylin is a bully with a lisp. Reema is a Syrian refugee. Caylin steals food. Reema doesn’t know much English. Other than both girls having a talent for running, they have little in common. That is until they discover they are both caring for a family of foxes behind their apartment building. They form an unlikely friendship over their struggles. Caylin acts tough to deal with poverty. Reema is a stranger in a strange land. Once they join forces and follow their talent to the track team, they learn that sometimes a friend is all you need to survive.

I love both these girls. They are so different, yet so alike. They both have struggles which are compounded by not having a soul to share them with. Once they decide to lower their walls, they end up helping each other rise to make their struggles more bearable and become a better person. A note on the language: The setting is Scotland and the Scottish verbiage is strong. I hope they publish a US version.

Valerie McEnroe, Media Specialist