A Game of Fox & Squirrels

A girl coping with a domestic violence incident is swept up in a board game that may or may not be magical in this enchanting middle-grade standalone.

Eleven-year-old Samantha and her older sister, Caitlin, are sent to live in rural Oregon with an estranged aunt following a domestic violence incident with their father. Sam wants nothing more than to go back home, back to the way things were . . . before she spoke up.

Then Aunt Vicky gives Sam a battered card game. Sam falls in love with the whimsical animal characters, especially the charming fox, Ashander. One day Ashander shows up in her room and offers her an adventure: find the Golden Acorn, and Sam can have anything she desires. As magic and reality blur, Sam is swept up in a game she may not be prepared to play.

Perfect for fans of Barbara O'Connor and Lauren Wolk, A Game of Fox & Squirrels explores themes of family, redemption, and the distance we'll go for the people we love.