Leila un zilā lapsa

by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Renāte Punka (Translator)

“Leila un zilā lapsa” ir aizkustinošs stāsts par Leilas ceļojumu, meklējot mammu, un zilās lapsas piedzīvojumiem polārās vasaras plašajā, brīnumu pilnajā pasaulē. Stāsta pamatā ir patiesi notikumi – polārlapsa Anna 76 dienās nogāja vairāk nekā 3000 km no Norvēģijas līdz Kanādai.

Grāmata aizskar nozīmīgas mūsdienu tēmas – cilvēka ietekmi uz dabu, līdztiesību, toleranci un nepieciešamību runāt par problēmām. Tā ir rakstīta liriskā, bagātīgā valodā, ar dinamisku sižetu un spēcīgām ilustrācijām, kas papildina emocionālo vēstījumu.

Genres: Middle Grade, Animals, Contemporary, Childrens, Fiction, Nature, Adventure

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2022

About the author

Kiran Millwood Hargrave is an award-winning writer whose work has been translated into over 30 languages and optioned for stage and screen. Almost Life, her third novel for adults, will be published by Picador (UK) and Summit (US) in March 2026.

Her debut adult novel The Mercies debuted at number one of the The Times bestseller list, was a top-ten Sunday Times bestseller, and was selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club and the Richard and Judy Summer Reads. It was a finalist for the prestigious Prix Femina in France, won a Betty Trask Award, and was called 'unquestionably the book of the 2018 London Book Fair' by The Bookseller. The Dance Tree was shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award and picked for the BBC Two Between Two Covers Book Club, as well as Florence + the Machine's Between Two Books Book Club.

Between them, her children's books have won numerous awards including the Wainwright Prize, Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Historical Association Young Quills Award, and the Blackwell's Children's Book of the Year. They have been shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize, the Barnes and Noble Award, Jhalak Prize, the Little Rebels Prize, the Branford Boase Award, the Blue Peter Best Story Award, Costa Children's Book Prize, Foyles' Children's Book of the Year, and thrice-longlisted for the Carnegie Award.

Kiran lives in Oxford with her husband, the artist Tom de Freston, their daughter, cats, and usually a litter of foster kittens.

Reviews

[Jade Ratley · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.29 on CAWPILE

[Renee Godding · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars

Around this time last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing Julia and the Shark; the first collaborative efford of Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston. It combined Kiran’s powerful storytelling with Tom’s beautiful monochromatic illustrations with a single accent colour to create one of the best and most memorable middle-grade novels I’ve read recently. I remember thinking; I wouldn’t mind if the would make this a “brand”. Well, my wish was answered with this spiritual sequel, about to release on October 13th.

Leila and the Blue Fox is a complete standalone story, but takes all the elements that made Julia so great, and builts upon it. Again, we have a layered tale of a young protagonist dealing with a tough personal situation at home, parallelled with a story of our natural world and one of the endangered animals within it. Again, we have stunning (equally layered) illustrations with the single accent-colour, to bring the story and atmosphere to life. 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. This time, instead of themes of mental health like in Julia’s story, Leila takes on migration; both natural- and human alike.
Like Julia’s, Leila’s story begins with a scientist mother chasing the endangered animal she studies, and a daughter chasing after the connection with her mother she feels she’s losing. Leila joins along with her mother Amani on an arctic expedition following the extraordinary migration of a polar fox across well over 2000 miles. A grueling track made out of necessity for this brave little fox to survive after its home was destroyed by climat change. On a ship on the arctic seas, Leila gets the chance to spend more time with her workaholic mother, and get to know sides of her she never saw. That includes the conversations this little fox’ journey brings up; stories of a similar one Leila and Amani undertook when Leila was only a baby. One away from a war-torn country, in search of a new and safer home…

Leila and the Blue Fox is an easy recommendation for me; if you’ve read and loved Julia and the Shark, you’ll be sure to love Leila’s story aswell. If you haven’t read Julia yet, but enjoy the same brand of hard-hitting middle-grade that transcends age-range as I do; I guess you have two beautiful books to add to your TBR instead of one.

Many thanks to Orion for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to get my hands on the finished product, as I can only imagine how beautiful this book is going to be visually in it's final form.

[Kristīne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brīnišķīgi.

[Lisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - Kiran Millwood Hargrave has quickly become an auto-buy author for me, so it doesn’t really surprise me that I loved this book as well. I think Kiran and her husband Tom de Freston are an absolute dream team, what with her gorgeous writing and his beautiful illustrations. The tracing paper overlays coupled with the monochromatic drawings with splashes of blue really elevated the story and added to the icy setting. (My edition also has the cutest paw prints stencilled on the edges which really passed the vibe check as well). I really liked the story parallel between Leila’s migration/flight from Syria to the UK and Miso the fox’s migration/flight from northern Norway to Canada. The portrayal of Miso as a (cute but still) wild animal was also done very well. I wasn’t a very big fan of the mother-daughter relationship in this book (especially compared to the one in Julia and the Shark which felt a lot more fleshed out). Whilst I really liked Leila’s character, I didn’t like her mom that much. Wish they would’ve communicated more and resolved things better in the end but at the same time the lack of communication/resolution felt realistic. Especially considering the trauma both Leila and her mom have had to deal with. Guess that’s the thing with Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s writing as well: no matter how frustrated it leaves you, it also seems to always make (some kind of) sense? Will definitely be keeping an eye out for any next works she publishes!

“Fox does not know to hope, but she waits for something to change, or else for nothing.”

[Zanda Melne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brīnišķīga grāmata! Visa mana mīlestība tiek šai grāmatai. Autore un mākslinieks te sadarbojas tik vienoti — viens otru lieliski papildina, un rezultātā sanāk kaut kas patiesi fantastisks.

Sāksim ar ilustrācijām — jau grāmatas vāks mani uzrunāja, bet iekšpuse ir tikpat skaista. Zīmējumi ir vienkārši, bez liekām "ciku cakām", bet tik ļoti valdzinoši, ka gribas skatīties vēl un vēl. Grāmatu papildina zīdlapiņas, kas piešķir ziemas un sniega sajūtu — perfekti! Gandrīz katrā lapā redzamas lapsas pēdiņas, kas liek domāt, ka viņas dzīve paralēli turpinās — viņa vienkārši iet uz priekšu.

Teksts ir uzrakstīts nu tik ļoti,ļoti skaisti. Viss šķita tik tīrs, dabisks un patiesi skaists — kā svaigs gaisa malks. 😊

Protams, stāsts ir daudz dziļāks nekā tikai par lapsas pārsteidzošo ceļojumu. Tajā slēpjas jautājums kas grāmatas varonei Leilai neliek mieru: kāpēc mamma viņu atstāja? Kāpēc viņa spēja sekot lapsai, bet nespēja meklēt savu meitu?

Un šis stāsts ir balstīts patiesos notikumos par lapsu, kas 76 dienās nogāja 2800 kilometrus!

Skaists, sirsnīgs un dziļi aizkustinošs darbs no visām pusēm. ❤️

[Janete Spure · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🦊 no 5 🦊
1. Valoda un rakstības stils.
Ļoti skaistas ilustrācijas un krāsas,kas nospēlē lielu lomu kopējā atmosfēras radīšanā. 💙😍 Vienkārša, mazliet vēsa (🥶) un mežonīgās dabas aprakstoša valoda. Teiktu, ka pats stāsts būs interesants no 12+
2. Sižets un tēmas aktualitāte.
Kā svarīgāko jautājumus varētu izcelt mātes un meitas attiecības, imigrantu likteni bēgot no kara un savvaļas dzīvi. Ļoti patika kā sasaucās lapsas un Leilas ceļojums un izjūtas tajā. Lapsa, protams, vadās tikai pēc instinktiem un nedomā kā cilvēks, taču tāpat kā Leila brīžiem jūtas neaizsargāta, baidās no nezināmā un ilgojas pēc siltuma. Liek aizdomāties par cilvēka mijiedarbība ar dabu un to, kas notiek, ja cilvēks neievēro dabas likumus...
3. Tēlu atveidojums.
Leilas mātes rīcības motīvus tā pa īstam saprast var tikai pašās grāmatas beigās, līdz tam dusmojos kopā ar Leilu, jo var šķist, ka māte viņu patiesi vērtē zemāk kā lapsas ekspedīciju.🦊
4. Emocionālais pārdzīvojums.
Noticēju stāstam un tā patiesumam, visu lasīšanas laiku šķiet jutu nelielu ledus elpu uz pakauša. 🥶💙🤭
5. Atziņas/Citāti
💙"Kā,lai iet uz skolu pēc vasaras brīvdienām, kurās esi kamanās braukusi pāri aizsalušai jūrai, dzenot pēdas zilai lapsai?"

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar in strategy to Hargrave’s previous book (also illustrated by her husband Tom de Freston), Julia and the Shark, one of my favourite reads of last year – both focus on the adventures of a girl who has trouble relating to her mother, a scientific researcher obsessed with a particular species. Leila, a Syrian refugee, lives with family in London and is visiting her mother in the far north of Norway. She joins her in tracking an Arctic fox on an epic journey, and helps the expedition out with social media. Migration for survival is the obvious link. There’s a lovely teal and black colour scheme, but I found this unsubtle. It crams too much together that doesn’t fit.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

german and english review
netgalley ebook
spoiler free

Das ist jetzt mein zweites Buch von Kiran Millwood Hargrave, und ich bin wirklich total begeistert davon wie sie es schafft wunderbare und vielschichtige Charaktere zu schreiben und gerade komplizierte Familienbeziehungen realisistisch darzustellen.

Dazu bringt sie immer wieder wichtige Themen in ihre Geschichten, mit denen man wirklich in jedem Alter in Berührung kommt und über die einige Leute mehr nachdenken sollte.

Ich liebe diese Geschichte um Leila. Man fühlt total mit ihr während sie versucht sich durch all ihre komplizierten Gefühle zu arbeiten. Erinnerungen an dramatische Erlebnisse, die wirklich kein Kind erleben sollte aber Millionen von Kinder jedes Jahr durchmachen müssen, und dazu die Beziehung zu ihrer Mutter, die absolut nicht einfach ist.

Ich kann das Buch wirklich empfehlen, nicht nur für Kinder!!!

***

This is my second book from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, and I'm just blown away how she writes those wonderful and layered characters, and how realisitic she writes all these complicated family dynamics.

Also the important topics she brings into her stories, topics that affect people in every age range, and topics that some people really should think more about.

I love this story about Leila. You just feel for her while she has to navigate through all her complicated feelings. Memories from dramatic experiences that no child should ever have to experience but millions of children do every year, and a strained relationship with her mother.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just children!!!

[Rasa Danute Siliņa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man ļoti patika jau pats stāsts vien, bet vēl krāšņāku, izprotamāku un labāku padarīja ilustrācijas! Grāmatas dizains bija, manuprāt, vienkārši fantastisks! Visi zīmējumi, vāks, caurspīdīgās lapas un pats galvenais - krāsas. Man tā patīk šie zilie toņi! Varbūt liekas, ka ir smieklīgi tā sajūsmināties par ilustrācijām, bet tomēr...

[Manoek (manoeksbooknook) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston have done it again. I read Julia and the Shark last year which was an easy 5 star read. And same with Leila and the Blue Fox. Another beautifully told and illustrated story that explores really important themes that will tug at your heartstrings. This book in particular deals with immigration, refugees, climate change, estranged family and so much more. And I loved it

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leila heads to Norway to stay with her mum. As a scientist she's undertaking a project to track an arctic fox making her way across the ice. Leila's mum takes her on the expedition. This is a beautiful story about migration and trying to belong, about finding a home where you didn't expect to. Gorgeously illustrated too.

[GG_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deja vú anyone?
Shall I go over the similarities between this and Julia and the shark? Ignoring the names.
1) Absentee mother obsessed with an animal
2) Travel to a far away cold country for a summer
3) Making a friend who relates to the specific struggles of the MC
4) A boat journey
5) A climax involving water and finally meeting the titular animal

The sad thing is, I did enjoy this book! I've just...read it before.
But gosh darn it was it BEAUTIFUL!!! There were see-through pages!! Oh, and my copy was signed. *smug smile until someone points out I don't even like it that much*

[Leila ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The feeling in Leila‘s chest is almost overwhelming. She’d call it love but that was ridiculous. She can’t love a fox, In its own way as wild as that bear had been, this animal she’s never met. But there isn’t really another word."

Cuando compré este libro, no pensé ni a palos que lo iba a terminar disfrutando tanto. La edición es de las cosas más lindas que vi en mi vida, y las ilustraciones son de otro mundo. Realmente majestuosas. La historia en sí se me hizo mucho más oscura de lo que esperaba jajaj tipo no es un libro para niños común y corriente.

Lo pensé cuando arranqué el libro y lo pienso ahora que lo terminé: cuando tenga hijos los voy a obligar a aprender inglés solamente para que puedan entender este libro, y para que puedan apreciar lo bellas que son las ilustraciones y lo mucho que complementan a la historia <3

"But miles mean nothing to Fox. She knows only that she has come, to exactly where she’s meant to be."

4.25 de 5 estrellas.

[eilost · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful read.
I felt so many emotions going through the story, from the beginning all the way to the end. I felt with Leila and I was rooting for her and for Miso from start to finish. I felt this story so deeply and the last few chapters were so heartfelt, so heavy, so beautiful and so scary at the same time that i was clutching the book, sitting on the edge of my seat either on the verge of tears or cracking a smile.
The art is so beautiful. I will definitely also read julia and the shark some time.
There were so many topics in this book, so much representation, so many little things that were so relatable. The writing style is beautiful, gripping, I love it.

[Courtney Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

[Miruna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Tonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be our main text for Stage 2 (9&10 year-olds) next term. The story, which includes themes around migration (refugees) and climate change, starts off a bit slow but builds to a great second half. The strained relationship between Leila and her mother should make for some interesting discussions. I think the students will enjoy the book and there could be a few tears towards the end!

[Amber-Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely adore the illustrations, it’s such a beautiful book. However, I didn’t connect or love this as much as Julia and the shark but still a lovely wintery read!

[Ellen Khodakivska · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Leila and the Blue Fox” by Kiran Millwood Hargrave


🦊It is a kind, touching, heart-squeezing, and heartwarming book for young minds, animal lovers, and those who want to improve this world.

🦊The Plot: We follow a girl with a beautiful name, Leila. The upcoming summer promises to be pretty exciting and extraordinary. But Leila can’t imagine that all the adventures will go beyond her expectations. Together with her mom and the crew of other scientists, the girl sets off for an engaging, challenging, and dangerous trip. On the trip, Leila is about to meet her friend – fox, who has much in common with the girl. The fox will leave a deep trace in Leila’s deep and kind soul and become a symbol of more valuable things.

🦊The Writing Style: This is my first book by this writer, and I needed some time (pages) to get used to it. Anyway, it was curious and pretty fast to read. I enjoy getting acquainted with some Norwegian words and cute facts. I liked how the writer managed to turn true events into one beautiful fiction story. The book is pretty clever and thoughtfully written. My son and I probably needed a bit more of a “Leila – fox” storyline. Still, in general, the book is excellent, full of different morals dealing with mother-daughter relationships, migration, rescuing animals, and preserving the planet. It was a vivid, informative, and kind story that greatly impressed me and my son.

🦊The Characters: All the characters are pretty curiously portrayed. The author masterfully describes them all through a lens of the challenging events. The more dangerous were the events, the more the characters’ features and traits revealed. Even though it was a sort of new approach for me, I felt emotionally connected to them. Most importantly, my son also felt for most of them, particularly fox.

🫶🏼The fave quote: “Twitter is not real life…It doesn’t matter what people “like” or “retweet”. It’s about what they do.”

“People need stories.”


😊Would I read other books by this author: yes!

🌟My humble rating is: 5/5


🤗Undoubtedly, my son and I liked the adorable illustrations by Tom de Freston. They are absolutely mesmerizing and terrific.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars

It's a beautiful book, lovely illustrations, and with elements to the story that I hadn't realised were there, as they're not in the synopsis. Leila and her mother's situation and relationship is complicated and far from perfect, so as well as the story of Miso the fox and her travels across the Arctic, we have Leila's story coming to terms with what had happened to she and her family in the past, and with who her mother is and her mother's choices (as well as her own).

I've dropped half a star because towards the end it begins to feel a bit too unrealistic, and there were a few choices made by the adults (especially Leila's mother) that confused me especially those that put Leila herself at risk. However, I do like the ending, where Miso ends up as well as the conclusion for Leila.

[Kendra (SteministKendra) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars using CAWPILE. Leila joins her mother on a journey with other scientists to track a Blue Fox called Miso. Leila was originally born in Damascus and had to migrate due to war to England. Similarly, Miso has traveled over 2000 miles across continents and seasons to find a home. The moral behind this was so meaningful and the writing of explaining the landscape simply beautiful. Much like Julia and the Shark it had tracing paper and the illustrations just wow. Highly recommend not just for children but adults too. Hoping to see more from this dynamic duo!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read!
I was sent a gifted copy by 5getbookish in exchange for an honest review.

Leila and the blue fox was just amazing.
So pure.

This middle grade book has beautiful illustrations. The Arctic journey following Miso the fox is just wonderful. Very important themes, touches on climate change, refugees, friendships, migration, family relationships, survival & so much more.

Brilliant for all ages.

[Amy S (bookish.contentment) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another incredible book by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I’ve savoured this book over the whole month, wanting it to last as long as possible. The illustrations are stunning and complement the text perfectly. Following Miso’s journey alongside Leila was fascinating and so symbolic as Leila went on a huge emotional journey herself. We hear snippets about her journey from Damascus fleeing the war, but it’s her journey back to her Mother that is the most heart wrenching. There were some moments where I gasped in horror and was terrified for the characters, KMH writes with such tension!

This is a book for everyone, adult or child.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly beautiful.

A story of a young girl called Leila & a blue fox called Miso. Both on such a hard hitting journey into the unknown.

[Iveta Ozola - Cirule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ja grāmatas vāciņš liekas redzēts, tad tu nekļūdies – šī ir to pašu autoru grāmata, kas sarakstījuši "Džūlija un haizivs", kas iznākusi izdevniecības Jānis Roze paspārnē. Man spilgti iespiedusies atmiņā Džūlijas grāmatas lasīšanas pieredze, tādēļ pasūtīju sev vēl vienu grāmatu no rakstnieces Kiran Millwood Hargrave un ilustrātora Tom de Freston. Man gan nav ne jausmas, vai izdevniecība plāno to izdot.
Tā kā Leilas grāmata ir radīta pēc Džūlijas grāmatas piemēra un tā patiešām vizuāli un īstenībā arī saturiski ir līdzīga, saprotu, ka autori ir vēlējušies atkārtot panākumus un izmantojuši to pašu formulu. No vienas puses tas mazliet traucēja, jo stāsts likās it kā jau dzirdēts, no otras puses šoreiz pusaudzes + dzīvnieka stāsts bija daļēji balstīts reālos notikumos – tāda zilā lapsa, kas ir nogājusi tik lielu attālumu, ir oficiāli reģistrēts un tā ir patiešām noticis. Zinātniskie fakti, klimata pārmaiņu radītās sekas un bēgļu pieredze ir svarīgi temati, kas uzrunā kā pieaugušos, tā arī pusaudžus. Manuprāt, tieši pusaudžiem abas grāmatas ir ļoti saistošas!

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh this is stunningly beautiful. A story of a girl, her relationship with her mam and a fox who travels thousands of miles. This hit me right where it hurt. This has brilliant messages about migration, how we should treat each other and about love. I think this slowly and surely gave me a hug and broke my heart a little too. Leila’s relationship with her mum was such a complex one - one built on not talking, not communicating, until they needed to. I loved Matty - he was a good egg. Miso has my entire heart. Incredibly illustrated too. I did of course shed a tear or two.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really touching story following Syrian born Leila as she joins her mother on an expedition to track a rare blue fox. A treacherous and dangerous journey on the surface, but textured touchingly with themes such as experiencing and accepting new surroundings, mother-daughter relationships, and the hardships faced by refugees fleeing their home country for their own safety.

[Charlotte (The Writers' Crown) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. As good as Julia and the Shark, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

[Chara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book that touches upon issues of climate change and immigration but also mother-daughter relationship and of course... foxes!