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Betsy Byars
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The Midnight Fox Paperback – July 30, 1981

by Betsy Byars (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 374 ratings
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Tom hates having to spend the summer on a farm . . . until he discovers the midnight fox.

No one asked Tom how he felt about spending two months on his Aunt Millie’s farm. For a city boy, the farm holds countless terrors—stampeding baby lambs, boy-chasing chickens, and worst of all, loneliness. But everything changes when Tom sees the midnight fox. He can spend hours watching the graceful black fox in the woods. And when her life—and that of her cub—is in danger, Tom knows exactly what he must do.

“An exceptional book.”—Booklist

A Library of Congress Children’s Book of the Year
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8 - 12 years
  2. Print length
    134 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 - 7
  5. Lexile measure
    970L
  6. Dimensions
    7.74 x 5.08 x 0.41 inches
  7. Publisher
    Puffin Books
  8. Publication date
    July 30, 1981
  9. ISBN-10
    9780140314502
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0140314502
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book holds one of my favorite characters, city bred Tom, who is doomed to spend the summer on his uncle's farm when his parents decide to take a long bicycle trip. Tom doesn't like animals, and they don't like him. But through quiet afternoons spent exploring the forest and fields, Tom becomes more aware of, and finally more comfortable, with the power and beauty of the natural world, and in the end acts to save a part of that world."--Children's Literature

About the Author

Betsy Byars has written over sixty books for young people. Her first book was published in 1962 and since then she has published regularly. Her books have been translated into nineteen languages and she gets thousands of letters from readers in the United States and from all over the world.

She has won many awards. Among them are the Newbery Medal in 1971 for her novel The Summer of the Swans, the American Book Award in 1981 for The Night Swimmers, The Edgar (for the best mystery for young people) in 1992 for Wanted..Mud Blossom and the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association for the body of her work. She especially values her many state awards which were voted on by the readers of the state.

Betsy attended public schools in North Carolina and graduated from Queens College in Charlotte, NC with a major in English. She began her writing career five years after her graduation by publishing short magazine articles. As she began to read to her children, her interest in writing for young people began.
Betsy lives with her husband Ed on an air strip in South Carolina. They are both pilots, and the bottom floor of their house is a hangar so they can taxi out and take off, almost from their front yard. The top floor of the house? Betsy's studio!

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0140314504
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Puffin Books; Reissue edition (July 30, 1981)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 134 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780140314502
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140314502
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 970L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.74 x 5.08 x 0.41 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 374 ratings

About the author

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Betsy Byars

Betsy Byars

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Betsy Byars is a Newbery Medal winner and a National Book Award winner. Her books have appeared on the best books lists of the American Library Association, School Library Journal, and American Bookseller, among others.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
374 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

P. Brooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for students during character study unit.
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2021
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Students enjoyed storyline. They really liked main character. They were always on his side!
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Penny Linsenbardt
5.0 out of 5 stars It was the first book I ever read
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2013
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My childhood was very traumatic. I read The Midnight Fox when I was 10 years old. It was the first book I read from cover to cover and it helped me through some very rough times in my life because I always remembered the story. Now I am a writer and like Betsy Byars I write in first person too. I will treasure this book for the rest of my life.
12 people found this helpful
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Jim
4.0 out of 5 stars The Midnight Fox
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2023
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Good condition
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Jacquelyn Hebert
5.0 out of 5 stars The Midnight Fox
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2013
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This book is a treasured tale dearly loved by my daughter, who read it several years ago when she was in (perhaps) the 4th grade. It has been one of her favorites ever since. I believe it captured her attention because at the time we were visited often by a family of foxes who lived in the wooded area behind our home.
One person found this helpful
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stuartm
5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding book that has stood the test of time
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2000
Verified Purchase
I read this as a child and again recently as a father. Betsy Byars does an incredible job of capturing the confused, angry feelings of a young boy left on a farm for the summer by his parents. The main character may resemble today's kids even more than those of my youth - imagine asking a kid today to leave his TV, VCR and videogames for a whole summer! The twist comes when the young boy sees a black fox and gets caught up in this fox's life. The boy grows up by learning to care for something other than himself and in so doing affects everyone.
12 people found this helpful
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I-Fang
5.0 out of 5 stars Comes in good shape and has a good story written within the ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2018
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It works for my daughter. She has to get a copy for school and we bought this. Comes in good shape and has a good story written within the cover.
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Loonyhed
3.0 out of 5 stars Meh.
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
Book itself: Run-of-the-mill children's chapter book. Not bad, but definitely not Newbery quality, either.
Shipping service: Good, classic Amazon service.
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sarahmna
5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of my favorite books from childhood
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2016
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This is one of my favorite books from childhood. Now, reading it with my 7 year old son, I love it even more! It's a chapter book boys and girls can relate to and love.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
My 8 yo loved this book, couldn’t put it down. Fantasy story, lots to talk about very well written.
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D. G.
5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter absolutely loved this book and has read again and again
Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2015
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This book was just what we expected. My daughter absolutely loved this book and has read again and again!
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val
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book!
Reviewed in France on August 30, 2014
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Livre passionnant, belle histoire, bien écrit. A partir de 9 ans. Very good book from 9 years old. Nice story.
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Kavita
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast delivery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
Bran new- nice book
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Shiraz
4.0 out of 5 stars Adults will have more patience with this book than children
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
This was a pleasant enough book with some good elements of humour and some thought-provoking moments too. As a teacher, I have used this as part of my class 5's literacy work but unfortunately I found that the children did not engage with the story as well as I did. The story ambles along at a gentle pace and some of the events are rather padded out. I loved the personality and humour of Tom's BFF - Petie Burkis and I also liked Tom's tendency to get side-tracked and talk about irrelevancies such as how he'd like to invent a new colour one day - unfortunately, my class did not appreciate either the humour or the irrelevancies and found it rather tedious. The fox does not actually make an appearance until chapter 5 and even then it is a very uneventful entrance which was a little deflating for the listener. The story describes Tom's journey through his initial reluctance to stay on a farm, to his complete absorption with the life of a black fox and her cub. It did offer some excellent opportunities for drama, character analysis and debate but in hindsight I can see that, from a child's perspective, the book lacks excitement. It is a gentle story of a boy's gradual connection with nature but whilst I would probably recommend it from an adult's point of view, I suspect it is one of those books a child might read only a chapter or two of before putting down and never returning to.
7 people found this helpful
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