I teach third grade and one of my students recommended that I read this book. So I did. And I am so glad that I did. First, it is a wonderful story. Second, as a read aloud, it would provide the opportunity for so many important discussions. Third, as a mentor text for readers or for writers, this book provides a wealth of knowledge. Highly recommended!

I love Tom being so brave….

Easy read for the day. It is a children’s book but I picked it up and the little story about a boy and his journey following a little black fox and saving her from his Uncle Fred’s gun really intrigued me.

It’s short and sweet.

Recommended by my 8 yo, who thoroughly enjoyed it. I've read other Byars books that I haven't enjoyed nearly as much, but the tone of this one really hit the mark for me. I laughed out loud in places, following the main character's thought processes and fantasies, and the overall theme of a city boy learning to love a black fox he continues to encounter in the woods was endearing in a non-saccharine kind of way.

One star removed because of the older cousin's obsession with her weight and the fact that she goes back to her boyfriend who breaks up with her unless she "loses 20 pounds." I have no idea what message Byars was trying to send with this whole scenario, but it didn't come off very well.

A very hard book to rate. There was such depressing animal cruelty in this book which was of course completely realistic of the time this was set. Without this awful treatment of animals and the way Hazeline's engagement was broken off because it was in common agreement she need to lose a stone or more, this would have been a 4:or 5 star.

I loved the relationship between Tommy and Petie, their friendship was wonderful, I loved their love of reading, their letters to each other and the way that although Tommy was bored at first, his boredom led him to discover new wonders.

The animal killing was brutal, they kill a bush baby and they all laugh at it being the most ugly thing they have every seen. The dad finds it amusing that there are babies in it's pouch. He scoops them out with a spoon, they laugh at this and how the threat of the fact you might have the bushbaby spoon is used to stop Hazeline's overeating.

Tommy sees a black fox, it is not long before the dad has dug out the baby with a spade and put it in a cage in the hope it's poor mother will come to rescue it whilst the is able to. Then he will shoot her. Luckily this is stopped. A previous fox wasn't so lucky and there are some horrible descriptions of what happens to these poor creatures and their babies.

Apart from the cruelty and the attitude towards weight the rest of the story is wonderful.

The Midnight Fox is about a boy named Tommy who stayed on a farm for a whole summer with his Aunt Millie, Uncle Fred and cousin. Tommy saw a fox. He wanted to learn about the fox and he did learn more about foxes. I think the author is trying to say to save animals from getting killed.

I liked this book because it is an adventure book and it leaves you thinking "what is going to happen." It is an adventure when Tommy and Uncle Fred were looking for a fox den. I would recommend this book to people who like adventure books.

Brody

My favorite book.

I was given this book to read by a past children's bookseller and teacher who like me, loves children's books. The Midnight Fox - first published in 1970 - was a wonderful story of a city boy reluctantly going to stay on a farm with family friends while his parents are on a cycling tour in Europe.

To this day, the cycling tours still happen in Europe but the amazing experiences the main character Tom has on the farm will be something few kids will experience now. With no one to hang out with (he left his best friend Petie behind for the summer), Tom explores the farm, the stream, the woods and with all the time in the world, discovers a black fox. Fascinated, watching for the fox keeps him occupied the entire summer, as it just gets hotter and hotter, his 'aunt' gets crankier due to the heat, and their daughter Hazeline has her ups and downs with her fiance.

But when a turkey and a chicken go missing, everyone knows who the culprit is, and 'Uncle' Fred goes to get his gun.

A fantastic story about growing up, imagination, memories and making tough decisions.

Betsy Byars is one of my favourite children's authors, and The Midnight Fox is a great example of her craft. When Tom's parents go on holiday, he has to leave the comforts of his urban setting to spend time on his aunt and uncle's farm.

Tom's feelings about the farm shift when he observes a black fox moving across a meadow. Byar's evocation of that numinous moment of wonder and connection is beautiful nature writing in its own right and sets the scene for a tense and dramatic conclusion as Uncle Fred decides to trap and kill the fox and her cub after it kills some of their chickens.

Byars beautifully captures nine-year-old Tom's boredom and dissatisfaction at this change of pace and setting, in his humorous and slightly alienated voice, without ever making him remotely unlikeable. It's a simple, elegantly-told story full of humour and insight.

A fine story about a young boy having a lonely summer, but then he meets a black fox, and learns much about himself and animals.

It’s a nice book, very short and quick moving. I imagine when this book was first published in 1968 it was quite a hit, but now I’d say it’s just good, not necessarily great. I’d give this book a 3.5/5

This was my absolute favourite book as a child, I used to read it at least once a month for years and years on end. So I decided to reread it a decade later. I understand why I loved this so much the story is beautifully told, the characters are so relatable especially the protagonist. As a young person with lots of anxieties I really related to a lot of the things he struggles with. I really enjoyed being back in this story and it definitely won't be the last time.