My Fox Ate My Homework by David Blaze is an ideal book for children from eight to thirteen years old: American Grades five to eight, and would be an excellent addition to any school library. Without doubt, it would result in stimulating and unusual class discussions. The story of Joe (Jonah to Mom) opens with Joe’s first day at a new school, and threats from the class bully if he doesn’t do his homework for him. Mom is unmarried and has moved to a dilapidated old house left to her by Joe’s Great-Grandma. A debt collector arrives on the doorstep; Great-Grandma had failed to pay her tax, and jobless Mom doesn’t have enough money. The only good thing for Joe is that he meets a fox, an extremely unusual fox successfully designed to be irresistible to youngsters.
My Fox Ate My Homework is a brave book to offer children, in that Joe is not from a “Mom, Dad, and siblings” ideal home. There are adult financial problems and Mom is, to a degree, dependent on Joe for friendship and practical help, much more than the usual chores. I loved the way this was explained and brought alive. Few children won’t recognise some aspect of Mom’s troubles and many, like Joe, will have had to face bullying at school. This is a challenging real-life setting and it contrasts incredibly well with the magical Mr Fox. David Blaze’s My Fox Ate My Homework is powerful, appealing and packed with exciting suspense. My nephew and niece would absolutely love it.
My Fox Ate My Homework is a humorous contemporary fiction novel for children, grades 4-6, written by David Blaze. Jonah Johnson didn't really want to be in a new school, and he didn't want to go for the first time on a Friday, but his mom just wouldn't agree to letting him wait until Monday. His first class of the day was sixth-grade English, and he was already late. Miss Cox welcomed him as he walked in, all too aware that everyone in class was staring at him. First she introduced him as Jonah, which he hated, preferring the more simple Joe. Then, someone demanded that he sing. This was pretty confusing until Miss Cox explained that anyone who was late to class normally had to sing a song, but that she was giving him a pass on that since it was his first day. Joe tried to sit at the back of the class, and a kid, who looked more like a ninth-grader than a sixth-grader, gave him a hard time, and later would try to bully Joe into doing his homework. And, to make matters even worse, his bed at his great-grandmother's house, which his mom had inherited, was horribly lumpy. Joe knew his mom was doing the best she could, but things were pretty awful as far as he was concerned, that is, until he met a strange, talking creature out back in the hen house.
David Blaze's humorous contemporary fiction novel for children, grades 4-6, My Fox Ate My Homework, is too good to pass up even if you've not been in sixth grade for some time. Blaze is a seriously entertaining writer who gets the odd and quirky humor kids like, and many fortunate adults somehow still appreciate. Joe's the new kid, but he quickly ends up with a best friend who just happens to be a fox -- one who also has a sense of humor and a predilection for outrageous ideas. I loved seeing how Joe deals with his would-be bully and winced when he fell for the make-money scheme his foxy friend recommends. Blaze's story reads smoothly and easily, and it's too good a start not to be the beginning of a series. At least, I hope so. My Fox Ate My Homework is most highly recommended.
My Fox Ate My Homework by David Blaze is a thrilling fantasy for young readers. Jonah — and he prefers being called Joe — is just eleven when they move. In his new school, he feels out of place. He can’t sing well and is easily embarrassed. Apart from having to deal with the usual problems a kid his age faces in a new environment, he is bullied not only by one, but by two nasty kids. Joe is surely going to have a very difficult year and he is aware of this. But things change when he finds a talking fox at his new home. A unique friendship develops and with it a whole new world. Now, Jonah is on an adventure that will open his eyes to the beauty of friendship and allow him to see his worth.
David Blaze has done a marvelous job in capturing sentiments and problems that kids face as they grow up. Bullying is one of the themes that is so masterfully developed and it’s a common reality in modern schools. But friendship is a world where kids can learn to name themselves and to see the worth of others, the beauty of their uniqueness, and the importance of creating spaces for others. The characters are compelling and memorable. The narrative voice is absorbing. I read this book with my seven-year-old son and he developed a lot of sympathy for Joe. I was thrilled when he asked questions, just the way he does whenever I read The Little Prince by Antoine de St-Exupéry to him. My Fox Ate My Homework is an entertaining and educative read for kids; a grand success.
