The Arctic Fox

Alex and her explorer father travel to the Arctic to return an Arctic fox to its habitat. Alex makes friends with an Inuit boy, Canny, whose father is thought to have died in the Arctic wastes. However, the Inuit Shaman recognises a link between the whaletooth necklace round the fox's neck and the missing man and hope is rekindled that he may still be alive. Alex, her father and Canny set out to find him. With its Arctic setting into which information about the Inuit way of life and polar exploration is unobtrusively woven, this original and well pitched novel is both an exciting adventure story and a story about a father and son's longing to be reunited. There are some overly breezy moments (Alex's mother walks out in the first pages and is, it appears, quickly forgotten) but it is a pleasure to find such a talented newcomer to children's books writing for younger readers.