My entering-4th grader read this as part of the required summer reading, and I read it afterwards. My child says it's the best book of the summer so far, because "animal books where the animals aren't hurt or killed" are favorites. This book's pretty good, and has enough suspense. Some of the suspense is almost misleading. I didn't like that, at the onset of the book, the boy was whiny and didn't want to try any sports, wasn't open to anything, and didn't like anything. That doesn't encourage kids to try things.

I think it was an okay book side from the author kept getting off track and would tell little stories about the people that wasn't necessary

This book was incredibly STUPID. the main character goes to live on a farm with his aunt and uncle for the summer, and sees a black fox. big whoop. most of the book is him thinking about or telling his aunt and uncle about things he does with his best friend. I don't even remember the main character's name; just that he's always talking about his best friend Petie Burkus. Yes, he talks about his best friend so much that I still remember his name THREE YEARS after reading the book. The only reason I actually finished the book was because my mom threatened to take all my books away if I didn't finish the midnight fox. I grudgingly finished it. this book really didn't have much to do with 'the midnight fox'. it was just a stupid little kid blabbing on and on and on about his best friend.

"The Midnight Fox" is written by Betsy Byars and is fictional. The genre of this book is Realistic Fiction and Mystery. I chose to read this book because of the cover. It shows a really beautiful black fox and by the title you can tell that this book is a mystery book.

This book is about Tom, boy who had to spend his summer with his Uncle and Aunty at their farmhouse because his parents were away. He disliked it very much because he had no friends and nothing to do, until one time, he was sitting on a bench near the forest and saw a fox. But not just any fox, a black fox. And after that, he started to come there everyday to check if the fox came back and finally, he went into the forest and tracked down the fox and found her hideout and her little children foxes. Unfortunately, his Uncle was a hunter and wanted to kill this fox and Tom did everything he could to make sure that the fox and her family was safe.

I think that this book is for the age group 7-13 because anyone under 7 would not understand it very well and anyone older than 13 would find it boring, but for children from 7 to 13, the book is perfect. When I was reading this book, I felt like I was Tom and it felt like the fox's life was in my hands

i like spaced out real bad and missed a few chapters but it’s pretty good and i liked the ending. it’s really a 3.5 star read not 4. also there’s like period typical racism, this is from the 60s. the racism is low-key though. also lots of animal violence. also background disordered eating so trigger warning for that and fat shaming.

The 1970s and '80s were arguably the prime of Betsy Byars's career, but she produced many good books outside of that period, including The Midnight Fox in 1968. Nine-year-old Tom is looking forward to summer vacation from school. He and his friend Petie Burkis are never short on creative ideas for how to spend their free time, but Tom's summer derails before it starts when his parents inform him he'll be spending the next two months at his Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred's farm. Tom's parents are going on a bike trip through Europe, and need to be sure he's safe back in the states so they can enjoy themselves. Not wanting to ruin their vacation, Tom pretends he's looking forward to being stuck on a farm for most of summer, but in truth he doesn't see how he could possibly enjoy the upcoming months.

Tom settles in quickly with Aunt Millie (who is actually his cousin) and Uncle Fred, as well as their teenage daughter Hazeline. They don't ask him to do many chores, so Tom has a surplus of time to explore the woods, and he's glad of that when he crosses paths with the black fox. It moves as smooth as dark silk, soundlessly foraging food to take back to her cub. Tom hasn't had luck in the past with animals, but this fox fascinates him, and he spends more time outdoors in hopes of seeing her again. Eventually Tom follows her to her den, where a miniature black fox emerges so his mother can feed him. Tom has never seen anything more wonderful than the foxes, but Uncle Fred is a hunter, so Tom keeps his sightings of the animals to himself. Better not to share this source of joy than to risk Uncle Fred ending it with his rifle.

Despite oppressive hot temperatures, summer passes rapidly once Tom learns to like the farm. It isn't boring, and Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred are kind. Hazeline has her dramas with her boyfriend Mikey, who wants her to shed some weight before he commits to a longterm relationship, but Tom doesn't mind occasionally being a voice of reason for Hazeline. The easy rhythm of the summer is broken one evening when Aunt Millie reports that one of her turkeys was stolen from its nest last night. She suspects a fox is the culprit, and wants Uncle Fred to track it down and eliminate the problem. Tom's anxiety shoots sky high, but he has no time to panic. Without being obvious, he attempts to lead Uncle Fred away from the black fox's den, but Fred is a wily hunter and soon has the animal and its cub surrounded. He sets a trap that's sure to apprehend the black fox by sundown, but Tom can't let him kill the majestic creature and her cub. He must find a way to liberate them both from Uncle Fred's trap, but will the saga of the black fox have a cheerful ending, or is it destined to be a tragedy?

Some of the best parts of The Midnight Fox are insights that arise from Tom's way of thinking, how he connects concepts that to most would seem unrelated. Often we're introduced to these insights by Tom reminiscing about old escapades with Petie Burkis, and for a kid who hardly appears in this novel, Petie has an impact. Tom is interesting by himself, however; after discovering the black fox, he finds himself spending hours every day looking for the animal, but patience isn't his strong suit. "I like to have things go ahead and happen. I thought one time that if there was some way to turn your life ahead like a clock, then I would probably lose half my life turning it ahead to avoid waiting for things." I think most of us identify with that, but if we're so preoccupied counting down to the "special" moments that we squander large quantities of the everyday, we're losing priceless portions of our life we'll never get back. The summer of the black fox adds essential elements to Tom's life experience; not just the action-packed moments of the climax, but all the smaller ones that led him there. Tom isn't the same kid he was two months ago; he's evolving into a better version of himself. I'll rate The Midnight Fox two and a half stars; the story's subtlety is impressive, but maybe it's too subtle, lacking the emotional kick that would propel it to three stars. Also, some of the foreshadowing is less than veracious. The writing is vintage Betsy Byars, though: humorous, wise, and endearing. I wouldn't mind reading this book again.

Cute read with the kids.

A quaint little kids read, I'm easily swayed! It has a fox on the front, so I read it. I'll be honest there are much livelier kids reads now, but this was lovely and did evoke some emotion through the storyline.

I had a busy time this last month and barely read but it would definitely be an evening or two if I had time to snuggle in with it... worth it for the feels

It was cool story to read with my third graders as we finish off the school year. Some of the incidents in the story haven’t really aged well in my opinion (for example, Hazeline’s family berating her about her overeating and generally just not giving a shit about her in general...while our young narrator pretends this is all fine), but all in all I thought the main characters were really interesting for different reasons. I really liked how thoughtful and introspective our narrator is. The choice he makes in the end seems easy as an adult, but not so much so when I then think about it from my students’ perspectives. I like that in a children’s story. My other issue with this story is that not much really happens plot-wise, which I suppose is a result of most of the pages being dedicated to Tom’s aforementioned thoughtfulness and insight.

My favorite part of this story has to be Petie Burkis. I love this kid. I feel like I’ve met him before. Everyone deserves their own Petie Burkis friend, in my opinion.

This is a perfect book for advanced third or fourth graders, or lower level fifth graders. Incredible imagery, and huge depth of feeling.

My 7yo son and I really enjoyed this. It is funny at points and pretty suspenseful throughout. It ends differently than we expected. Overall, it has that good, old-fashioned farm feel.

I felt for the protagonist. The author touches on how society misunderstands sensitive boys. The story unfolds with the tale of a boy living with his aunt and uncle on a farm for the summer. He must decide to hunt down an elusive black fox and kill it, or let it go against his aunt and uncle's wishes.