Pax

Pax

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade adventure
• Originally Published: 2016
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 760L; grades 3-8
• Structure/Length: 34 chapters; approx. 278 pages; approx. 5 hours, 32 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: The circumstances of an unnamed war compel a young boy, Peter, to abandon his pet fox, Pax. Regretful and heartsick, Peter is determined to find Pax and sets out on a challenging journey in search of his beloved friend. Meanwhile, Pax devotedly searches for Peter with the help of new acquaintances.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: War; death; separation; abandonment            

Sara Pennypacker, Author

• Bio: Born in 1951; studied art and worked as a painter; homeschooled her children; has written more than 20 children’s books; contributed to Flat Stanley series; lives in Florida and Massachusetts; loves cake, pie, and art; winner of the Golden Kite Award (for Pierre in Love); Clementine books have won numerous awards, including the Christopher Award
• Other Works: Clementine (2006); Pierre in Love (2007); Waylon! The Most Awesome of All (2019); Pax Journey Home (2021)
• Awards: National Book Award for Young People’s Literature (longlist, 2016)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Escape From Captivity Into the Wild
• The Cost of War
• False-Acting

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the emotional toll of war through analysis of the protagonist’s loss of his pet as a central theme.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s theme of Escape From Captivity Into the Wild.
• Plan and compose an alternate storyline as the consequence of a revised key plot point.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Peter’s memories of his mother, the ways in which Pax changes in the story, and other topics.