It’s almost unfair to mention A Game of Fox and Squirrels in the same breath as these other books, though. Some books are almost explicit while others merely allude to past incidents. From Fighting Words to Chirp to Prairie Lotus (to a lesser extent), it’s handled in a variety of different ways. And if there is one particular trend I’ve noticed in my middle grade novels, it is without a doubt physical abuse, usually by family members. I’ve always said that books for youth serve as a mirror for the great grand conversations going on in the world. But as this is 2020 and the world is full of complexity and problems, it should be of little surprise that the children’s books I encounter reflect those same complications. Under normal circumstances they offer a bit of respite from the darker material out there. Maybe that’s why I gravitate towards children’s books more than adult ones. Stories in which peril is present but toothless. To escape, many of us typically turn to books.
And by “we” I pretty much mean “the entire world” is having a rough year. Henry Holt and Co (an imprint of Macmillan)
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