The Midnight Fox

Story

For city boy Tom, adjusting to life in the country is hard. But, when he discovers a fox and her cubs living in the forest, he is fascinated and determined to protect them. Then Uncle Fred decides to go after the fox. Will Tom save her and her family in time?

Why we chose it

A animal adventure story that has remained popular over the decades and is still often read in schools today.

Where it came from

Betsy Byars (née Cromer; 1928 –2020), an American author of children's books, says The Midnight Fox is her favourite of all her books. It was also the first book she put parts of her own life into, using headlines that came from some Betsy and her sister wrote as girls and things that her own dog had done.

Where it went next

Although The Midnight Fox has not won any major awards in its own right, it is often described as Betsy Byars most enduring work. In her career, she wrote over sixty-five books which have been translated into nineteen languages. In 1987 Byars received the Regina Medal for lifetime achievement from the Catholic Library Association.

Associated stories

Betsy Byars has written many successful books, many of which have won awards. Among them are the Newbery Medal in 1971 for her novel The Summer of the Swans, the American Book Award in 1981 for The Night Swimmers, The Edgar (for the best mystery for young people) in 1992 for Wanted…Mud Blossom.