Red Fox Road

by Frances Greenslade

A thirteen-year-old girl on a family vacation becomes stranded alone in the wilderness when the family's GPS leads them astray. A compelling survival story for ages 10 to 14, for fans of Hatchet and The Skeleton Tree .

Francie and her parents are on a spring road driving from British Columbia, Canada, to hike in the Grand Canyon. When a shortcut leads them down an old logging road, disaster strikes. Their truck hits a rock and wipes out the oil pan. They are stuck in the middle of nowhere. Francie can't help feeling a little excited -- she'd often imagined how she'd survive if she got stranded in the bush, and now here they are. But will her survival skills -- building fires, gathering dandelion leaves and fir needles for tea -- be enough when hours stretch into days?

Genres: Middle Grade, Survival, Fiction, Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Mental Illness

248 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2020

About the author

Follow me on Instagram @franciegreenslade

I was born in the Niagara Peninsula and grew up playing in the orchards and vineyards around our family's farm. I can remember climbing under the thickest cover of grape vines to read and write stories in the long grass there. At about age 11, when we moved to Winnipeg, I wrote my first novel, on a desk made of boards, in the crawlspace of our house. The story involved an attic, a girl and a mystery.

Red Fox Road, a novel for middle grade readers, was written to the girl in the crawlspace, writing her book in a Hilroy scribbler. A story of resilience and survival, Red Fox Road is about thirteen-year-old Francie (of course!) who is stranded alone on a remote road in the Oregon wilderness after the family's truck breaks down.

The survival story is one of my favourite genres, especially ones featuring girls and women.

I'm also fascinated with the idea of home and shelter and how our mothers are our first "home." Lost mothers and relationships with mothers are themes that resonate through all of my books.

My first two books are A Pilgrim in Ireland and By the Secret Ladder, both non-fiction memoirs.

Shelter is a novel about two sisters whose mother suddenly leaves them to billet with a family friend in a small BC town, telling them she's going to cook in a logging camp and then doesn't return.

https://www.instagram.com/franciegree...

Reviews

[Literally Lesia · Rating 4 out of 5]

То що ж сталося насправді? Чи живий батько? Чи він так і мав намір лишити дочку з дружиною в лісі, бо не міг більше так жити? Мені треба відповіді на ці запитання 🙏

[Krista (Mrs K Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The description of the Oregon forest was beautiful. I felt like i was lost with the main character in these woods.
I was disappointed in the ending though as it left me wondering about a few things.

[VIKTORIA SM · Rating 3 out of 5]

я страшне як розчарована в кінцівці:((
загалом книжка цікава, особливо з середини, але все одно вона дуже примітивна

[Єлізавета Максименко · Rating 5 out of 5]

​​Підліткова, але з глибокими сенсами та дорослою проблематикою.

Але більше всього мене вразила одна з історій, що надихнули авторку на написання цієї книги: у 2011-му році жінка з її міста виживала 45 днів після того, як заблукала, дотримуючись вказівок GPS-пристрою на віддаленій дорозі Невади. Бррр😬

Тепер зайвий раз подумаю, чи довіряти навігаторам🫣

[Olena Brazhnyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Я би поставила книжці 5, якби не фінал. Не люблю, коли автор лишає нас на роздоріжжі й не зрозуміло, чим усе закінчилось🤯

[Helga Victim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книга дуже пройняла. Навіть опісля її завершення лишається думка, а що з … яка не відпускає. Історія про дитину, яка в силу обставин змушена виживати в дикій природі, водночас переживаючи психологічні проблеми сім‘ї. Я тільки тішилась, що в неї була така вчителька, що розповідала дітям базові навики виживання, і що Ліна її справді слухала й запам‘ятовувала. Думаю, я б здалася значно раніше.
Книга тяжка, але, водночас, дуже надихає.

[Emma Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro sulla natura, sulla sopravvivenza, ma non solo...un libro sulla famiglia, sul l'abbandono, sul coraggio, sull'amore,sui sensi di colpa, sulla morte e sulla vita. Una favola dolce amara

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh the end. I love a survival story, because they stay pretty high tension for the whole time - and this one did not disappoint. There were some parts that could be predictable if you know what a survival story tends to need/have - but there were some big twists/surprises that had me shook.

[Khrystyna Nyzhnyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Драма. Тому мені сподобалася, а ще обкладинка в укр виданні шикарна, це мене привабило іще більше, але переклад ... на думку спадає слово "технічний", якщо так можна сказати.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frances Greenslade's story of survival is perfect for fans of Hatchet and other survival stories. Greenslade really knows how to create tension and anxiety as Francie struggles to manage the wintery environment and her unpredictable mother. Flashbacks reveal the backstory of Francie's twin Phoebe and her difficult relationship with her mother. The author never says the mom is smoking marijuana (she refers to it as mom's special cigarettes), but it's pretty obvious. I don't know if this would be terrifying for kids like it for adults. But reading about a girl stranded alone with her mentally unstable mother who is self-medicating with marijuana is pretty terrifying! Also, I'm not sure why the dad thought it was a good idea to leave them alone. Francie's parents are kind of clueless. This one definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I do wish there had been some kind of resolution about the dad's fate. The author definitely leaves you hanging there. Will there be a sequel to explain the aftermath of all this? I hope so! Recommended.

Read more at Bookish Adventures.

[Amy de Raaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Francie Fox and her parents are on a spring road trip driving from British Columbia to hike in the Grand Canyon, but trouble happens when their car breaks down on a remote road in the middle of nowhere. From a family vacation trip to a nightmare in an instant, the Fox family will face the unimaginable. Will they survive? Will they find help? Will someone find them before it's too late?

Categorized under the Canadian crime novels genre for youth, my sons and I were not sure where this survivalist novel would lead us. This book was tense, but also really slow at times, dealing with tough subject matters, like death and mental health. The ending left us, the readers with many questions, although redemptive in nature, it was still sad and unsettling with no closure. Strong concrete details filled the pages but the slow and repetitive pace made it a bit boring at parts and really stressful at other times. The novel sparked a lot of conversation between us and will not be forgotten. Moral of the story: don't trust your GPS 🤣

[Angela Senatore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro che ti incolla alla pagina, avvince, fa riflettere, alla fine commuovere.
Ultra consigliato

[Gertrud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Era tanto che non leggevo un libro "per ragazzi". Bellissimo, tenerissimo, pieno di spunti di riflessione e sentimenti puri. Consigliatissimo.

[grace wildman · Rating 4 out of 5]

if i read this when i was 10 i would have been so obsessed

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read on the recommendation of a 6th girl I know. Enjoyed the book because of the conversations with her. She liked Francie and got a lot out of the story.

However, as an adult with backpacking experience, I was so frustrated with the parents, I can't rate the book any higher for the stress it caused.

[✨Veruca✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

To my sisters if they read this: you will like this book even though I did not.

[Hope Hunter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Francie and her parents are on vacation from Canada to hike the Grand Canyon. After stopping for gas in a small town, her dad decides to take a short cut down an old lumber road. The road gets progressively worse, the vehicle bottoms out in a huge pothole and punctures the oil pan, thus incapacitating the vehicle. Francie’s dad decides to walk for help with a GPS that he either doesn’t understand how to use or is faulty. Francine stays with her mother. As the wait extends, the family dynamics are revealed: Francie’s twin sister died of heart failure and her mother has not learned to cope with it (even though she is as school counselor. And with the way the mom acts in the story THAT is scary.) She has periodic mental breaks that leave Francie and her father to fend for themselves. In addition to the mental breakdowns, she self-medicates with “special tobacco.” Francie’s parents don’t really get along; they seem to be staying in the marriage for the sake of Francie. Francie feels her mother wishes she had been the one to die instead of her sister, so she spends most of her time with her dad who taught her to work on vehicles and be self-sufficient and independent. Francie’s latest interest has been survival skills, and it is these skills that keep her and her mother alive. When she wakes up one morning to find her mother gone and either looking for help or her dad, Francie survives on her own.

In promotional materials, this book has been compared to Gary Paulsen’s “Hatchet.” I see the comparison, and think there will be an audience for this book with kids who like stories about surviving in nature after emergency or traumatic situations. To be completely honest, I did not like “Hatchet” even after reading it multiple times and trying very hard to like it. I chose to read this book because I hoped with the backstory of Francie’s life, it would be a little more interesting for me. It wasn’t. I did actually like the survival stuff and Francie’s bravery and ability to take care of herself in the forest, but she had so much baggage dealing with her mother, her parent’s relationship and the thoughts of her sister, that I just felt worse and worse for this poor kid. The ending kind of pushed me over the edge too, because it just wasn’t fair how much Francie had dealt with....and now she would never get to her be the kid. She is going to have always be the adult. That poor, poor girl.

There will be a middle grade audience for the book, but personally, it was sad and depressing.

[Michelle Mallette · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my full review here.
I loved this determined young protagonist. Francie and her parents are on their way to a camping adventure in the Grand Canyon, from British Columbia. (This explains why they have a GPS but no cellphone, by the way - it's always an issue for us Canadians visiting 'Murrica.) A wrong turn and a breakdown finds them stranded on a deserted logging road in Oregon. No one is expecting them for two weeks, so Dad decides to hike out, taking the tent as 13-year-old Francie and her mum can stay in the truck. Francie is secretly excited to use the survival skills she's been learning, though her mother is distant, worried, and increasingly unstable. Eventually Mum takes off as well (a pretty weak plot point) leaving Francie on her own. How she finds the physical and mental strength to survive is a testament to her resilience and determination. I really liked the ending too - loose ends that may be resolved in a pending sequel. Note perfect in so many ways. I don't object to the flawed parenting - Francie learned long ago to rely on herself and several adults in her life, and that's what gives her the inner strength she needs in this situation. My thanks to the Grand Forks (B.C.) and District Public Library for including this award-winning title in its children's fiction collection.

[Vikki VanSickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic addition to the canon of wilderness survival books for children. Most of these books feature male characters, so I love that this one is centred on Francie, a smart, practical and endearing thirteen year old girl who is left alone in the woods when her father and then her mother go off for help when their truck breaks down en route to the Grand Canyon. Francie loves the outdoors and has read many survival manuals, so she is somewhat prepared for the experience. Greenslade's love and respect for nature is evident and one of my favourite parts of this book is the beautiful, loving and respectful descriptions of the outside world. You never feel that the woods is a bad place or out to get Francie. Francie and her family are also recovering from the family trauma of having a child (Francie's twin) die, and alone in the woods Francie reflects on this. This adds a layer of psychological depth to the narrative, making it more appropriate for intermediate readers.

[LuLú · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bel romanzo di formazione, sicuramente un libro adatto ai ragazzi pieno di buoni spunti di riflessione.
Avendolo letto però non con gli occhi di ragazza l’ho trovato molto lento e spesso ripetitivo..
Molto carina l’idea di partenza purtroppo meno il finale che pecca anche un pochino di credibilità.
Comunque non mi sento di sconsigliarlo anzi credo sia una valida lettura dai 10 anni in su.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely frustrated with that ending and with the mother-daughter relationship.

But 5 stars for strong, brave, resilient Francie (and Buddy, too!) - and her drive to survive - even if the book’s relationships and conclusion made me crazy enough to only give this two stars.

[Karson]

Did'nt really like it

[Elna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francie's father takes her and her mother down all ill-advised shortcut in the Oregon woods, and gets them throughout lost. When the car breaks down, he relies on their new GPS to orient himself and seek help. As his absence stretches on, Francie and her increasingly unstable mother fend for themselves, and then Francie is totally alone once her mother decides to leave for help as well. She is forced to contend with her feelings about and her relationship with her parents, her memories of her dead twin sister, thirst, hunger, and the elements.

Lots of survival tips in this one, and a really realistic and sympathetic portrayal of an average young girl alone and scared. Francie has nothing to do but sit around and think and remember, and slowly finding out her shattered family dynamics is heartbreaking. Her mother's mental illness is rearing its head, and her mother's abandonment (in a long line of other emotional abandonments) only makes it worse. Their reconciliation at the end is abrupt and doesn't feel earned - why does Francie forgive her? This detail is clearly a sign that her mother's serious mental health issue is still a danger. We never learn much about Francie's father, but her love and worry for him is clear, as is his tense relationship with his wife. It's frustrating but realistic that we never find out what happened to him, but Francie seems unaffected by it. Yes, she's probably in shock, and there's no proof he's dead, but she's not sad or worried at all anymore, which is strange.

In the end note Greenslade says she was inspired by stories of GPSs leading people astray, which is certainly terrifying, but it does feel little anachronistic to have the stand-alone device rather than one on a phone which readers would be more familiar with.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hatchet with a girl protagonist? I remember thinking it was brave for Paulsen to have Brian dealing with D-I-V-O-R-C-E in Hatchet in the 1980's, a title not even in the "issue book" genre, but wow, times have changed. Francie is dealing with a survival situation in an Oregon forest with a mom who is constantly high and probably schizophrenic as well. This reads like a normal realistic fiction, suspenseful survival story (not an "issue book"), but there's extra depth layered as Francie's backstory is unveiled via memories as she's navigating her survival without food or parents or any signs of rescue. I kind of liked the ending, which is an unexpected one! I suspect my students will NOT appreciate the ending, but I hope they like the book otherwise. I was pretty impressed with the outdoor survival skills of this 13-year-old!

For parents/teachers with concerns: the mom's addiction to self-medicating with marijuana is only described as "special tobacco" or "special cigarettes" but it's certainly obvious to anyone who knows anything about pot; not sure a 4th grader who isn't around it would have any clue other than what the mom is doing causes family problems. It's certainly not condoning or promoting such behavior, as the mom makes terrible decisions, probably because she's high, and the 13-year-old is clearly the most responsible person in their family of three.


For the librarian of children who are hunters and want outdoor survival adventures like this: there is no hunting/animal killing. I think some of my students will be disappointed by that; they'd say, "less family drama, more hunting & fishing!" (She does eat ants).

[Edd Tello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy in exchange for a review.

Between a fallout with her twin sister Phoebe's death and her mother's mental illness, thirteen-year-old Francie's life hasn't been easy. When the family goes on a road trip, Francie's excited to have an outdoor adventure finally. But the trip takes a bad turn when her father follows a route that his GPS indicates. Suddenly, the truck hits on a rock, and they become stranded in the middle of the forest.

Her dad seeks out help, and then her mother does the same. Francie has no choice but to rely on her survival skills and a resource-filled book to gather rainwater from leaves, start a fire, and other things in order to survive.

What I loved:
🌲The protagonist. Francie is very resilient. She goes through a lot at such a young age which makes her a likable and endearing character.
🌲The writing. The author takes us on an adventure through detailed descriptions and lots of action.
🌲It's engaging from beginning to end.

Some parts were somewhat slow for me. Even when I loved the full-detailed descriptions, I felt like some of them slowed down the plot.

Many questions popped up in my head after finishing it, especially related to her mom’s mental health and what happened to her father (?) But it's okay. I heard the author is working on a sequel!

This is a story of survival—a trip to the woods with ups and downs and bumpy roads. I would recommend it to those who love survival stories and elements of suspense.

[Dayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed RED FOX ROAD, I found it weirdly difficult to sit and not let my mind wander while I read. Normally, survival books have me in a chokehold, but it unfortunately took me a while to get fully hooked by this story.

But with that being said, I DID enjoy the story. I found it incredibly fascinating how this child was able to survive in a situation where most adults would be forever lost. The level of preparation she had was incredible and admirable. There were, of course, instances where he age came through in her loneliness and memories, and those were the moments where it made it even more incredible that she was so prepared.

Alongside her modern struggles to survive, we also get flashbacks full of grief and a mother with a complicated mental health history. The image we see of a happy family, bickering over being lost, slowly evaporates as we learn more and more about their past and present circumstances.

I may have also felt an incredible sense of loss and sadness by the end of this book.

RED FOX ROAD is a great book, not just for the survival aspects, but because it dealt with so many important issues that I think a lot of younger readers would benefit from.

Happy reading!

[Alex Baugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story about a family that is traveling from British Columbia to the Grand Canyon. The dad insists on using his new GPS traveling through a forested area. The car hits a rock, in the middle of a forest. With little food and not cellphone (a new GPS but no cellphone? Who does that?), the dad leaves to get help and the mom and daughter, Francie, 13, remain in the car. They survive on mints and granola bars, and mom smokes pot for her nerves. When dad doesn’t come back in a few days, mom goes nuts and she leaves to go get help, leaving Francie alone in the woods. I found the neglectful and a self medicating mother hard to take, as well as Francie being so oddly detached from her twin sisters death,sister. And I never found out what happened to the dad. Even though it’s a survival story, and kudos to Francie, the best character in this novel, I just couldn't get past the behavior of the parents. This could have been a perfect storm for a dysfunctional family coming to terms with their family life, but the adults ran instead.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 11-year-old (12 next month) daughter read this and really wanted me to also read it. I was very impressed. I could see this book blowing me away if I was her age. The main character is a 13-year-old girl who has to survive in the woods. It's somewhat like the amazing 1986 novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen but with a girl main character instead of a boy and with a slightly different point, being mainly that even if you're not too far from home, the possibility to get fatally lost by taking a wrong turn somewhere still very much exists. I usually enjoy reading the books my daughter reads and talking to her about them but I do enjoy some more than others and this is was one I really got into. Recommended if you know a youngish tween who might appreciate a survival novel.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although my library system has placed this book in the children's area I am not sure I could recommend it to children. This survival adventure is very realistic (sometimes painfully so). The book deals with grieving and mental illness which are some heavy issues, and subtly with drug use and self medication the references to which quite possibly would go over many kids heads. There are also some neglect and abandonment issues. However the ending is where the real heavy stuff lies even as an adult I found it distressing; Dad is just accepted as having walked into the wilderness never to be seen again, realistic but definitely not an ending I was prepared for in a children's fiction.

[Katy Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’m stranded on this road. I’ve been here nine days. I’ve gone to look for water. Please wait for me. P.S. I’m thirteen years old.” If this doesn’t make you immediately pick up this book and read it, I’m not sure we can be friends. Red Fox Road is an excellent story of survival and resilience. As Francie faces down the wilderness, we get to know her past in heartbreaking snippets. We see her relationships with her folks, her sister and grandmother overlaid beautifully with her experiences in the woods. The longer we stay with Francie, the more we know that her story’s end can’t be 100% perfect. But life is never perfect, so why should our stories be? Red Fox Road feels 100% real, and that’s better than perfect.