Children of the Fox
Sale price
$958
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2021 · Est. 12.5 hour read

Children of the Fox

Written by Kevin Sands

Part of the Thieves of Shadow series

Five young talents face a deadly heist against a powerful sorcerer. Success or betrayal awaits.

6.0/7 Bookroo expert·4.3/5 Goodreads · 1,677 ratings
432 pages· 91,014 words· Est. 12.5 hour read
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Bookroo's summary

Five young criminals, each with unique skills, are hired to steal a treasure from the city's most powerful sorcerer. Callan, Meriel, Gareth, Lachlan, and Foxtail must trust each other to succeed. But magic is unpredictable, and failure could be deadly. Can they outsmart the sorcerer, or will their plan unravel?

From the publisher

This stunning tale of betrayal, trickery, and friendship takes the reader on a wild ride. –School Library Journal Ocean’s Eleven meets The False Prince in this thrilling heist story for young readers, in which five kids with unusual talents are brought together to commit an impossible crime. Failure is unacceptable … but success could be deadly. From the bestselling author of the Blackthorn Key series, this magic-infused fantasy brings together a ragtag group of kids to pull off a crime so difficult, countless adults have already tried and failed. Lured by the promise of more money than they’ve ever dreamed of, five young criminals are hired to steal a heavily guarded treasure from the most powerful sorcerer in the city. There’s Callan the con artist, Meriel the expert at acrobatics (and knives!), Gareth the researcher, Lachlan who can obtain anything, and Foxtail, whose mysterious eyeless mask doesn’t hinder her ability to climb walls like a spider. Though their shadowy backgrounds mean that they’ve never trusted anyone but themselves, the five must learn to rely on each other in order to get the job done. But as Callan has been warned most of his life, it’s best to stay away from magic. It can turn on you at any moment, and make you think you’re the one running the con game, when in reality you’re the one being fooled. Faced with these unsurmountable odds, can the friends pull off this legendary heist, or has their luck finally run out?

At a glance
Format
Pages
432
Words
91,014
Reading age
8–12
Audience
Middle Grade
Lexile
580L
Themes & topics
Books about magicBooks about stealingBooks about law and crimeBooks about swindlers and swindlingBooks about adventure
For the grown-ups

The parent guide

What families may want to know

Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.

Violence

The main character was whipped for being a thief. At one point in the story he describes the experience in which he was chained to a pole and whipped. He has scars from the beating. The villain has used an apprentice's soul to guard a gemstone. It's implied that the apprentice was killed as part of the process.

Magic

In the world invented by the author every object has a trace of magic. There are also enchantments and magical bindings.

Serious Subject Matter

**Spoiler** In one part of the story, the characters enter a casino and steal an object from another character as a gamble during a card game.

What readers & critics say

Reviews

6.0

out of 7

6.0

An exciting, intense heist story for a juvenile audience.

The Goodfather

Trusted reviewer

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The author

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The fine print

Book details

Reading levels
ATOS
~3.8
F&P level
~O
Publication
Published
September 20, 2022
First published
September 28, 2021
Edition
Language
English
Type
Chapter Book
Identifiers
ISBN
9780593327524

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