Leila and the Blue Fox: An enthralling, uplifting adventure story from the creators of JULIA AND THE SHARK

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It has been sitting on my shelf for a while but in the pre-Christmas madness, I hadn’t managed to get to it. Leila’s mother is a Meteorologist and has found a new life that is paid well in Norway, somewhere that has welcomed her as a refugee, as a highly skilled female scientist - an opportunity that hadn’t seemed available to her in the UK. It was such a pleasure to meet you both, and I really appreciated how smoothly and professionally you ran everything. This book in particular deals with immigration, refugees, climate change, estranged family and so much more. This is the second middle grade pairing of wife and husband, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston.

And again; all these elements together add up to more than the sum of its parts, and make an impactful story about a potentially difficult topic approachable to young readers and adults alike. I would recommend adults to read the novel, not just because it is a wonderful book for any age, but because there are many aspects of the plot which can lead to discussion and sharing.

The recommended reading age for this is 9+ but this is such a brilliant story that adults and children will equally enjoy. These details breathe life into each environment, making them more than just a backdrop to the story. It then moved on across the ice to Ellesmere Island in Northern Canada (2,179 miles, 3,506 km) in 76 days – at which point tthe GPS tracker broke down! It remains one of my top books of 2022, so I knew I had to fit Leila and the Blue Fox into my reading list as well. She started writing poetry in her final year at university, producing three poetry books and a play before she turned to fiction.

It is a fantastic read, which brought a tear to my eye, and will leave me talking about it until the author and illustrator release their next wonderful book together. Following Miso’s journey alongside Leila was fascinating and so symbolic as Leila went on a huge emotional journey herself. Alongside the stories of these journeys, the ever-changing issues of climate change, migration, immigration and mental health are also explored.It’s a great way of introducing those topics to younger readers, with further reading included at the back (as well as for the arctic animals. Leila’s emotional story of lost love and jealousy is set against the perilous but essential migration of the fox.