Jane, The Fox & Me by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault (2013, Groundwood Books; 104 pages) Fanny Britt is a Quebec playwright, author and translator who has written a dozen plays and translated more than fifteen others. In this book, she travels in the company of Isabelle Arsenault, a Quebec illustrator who has won an impressive number of awards and has achieved international recognition. This book is a visually stunning graphic novel and an emotionally honest juvenile novel, both at once. This is the story of Helene, who has been shunned by the girls who were once her friends. Her school life is full of whispers and lies, but fortunately Helene finds one consolation, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Helene identifies strongly with Jane's trials, and when she is lost in the pages of her wonderful book, she is able to ignore her tormentors. But when Helene is humiliated on a school trip in front of her entire class, she needs more than a fictional character to see herself as a person deserving of laughter and friendship. The author is not shy in showing the brutality of which children are capable, but she is also hopeful and brings the reader a fact: redemption can be found through connecting with another, whether the other is a friend, a fictional character, or even, amazingly, a fox. Recommended for free spirits, animal lovers, classic lovers, beautiful illustrations and those looking for answers about bullying. Find this title in our catalog: Jane, The Fox & Me Recommended by: Maite
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