Stone Fox

I did my book talk on Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardiner. I read this book with my fourth graders and they loved it. It left them wanting to know more everyday when we stopped.
The main character in the story is Little Willy. His grandfather is takes care of him and becomes ill. Willy is forced to take on many responsibilities that are above his maturity level at only 9 years old. Willy and his dog Searchlight work hard and devise a plan to help grandfather have the will to live but and obstacle stands in their way, Stone Fox. Stone Fox is a very well know dog sled racer that will be competing against Willy in a race to win the prize that Willy is sure will save grandfather.

This story was great for my age group. The students' character was challenged by the story. Would they be able or willing to step up and take on the responsibilities that Willy did? What kind of person are you? This is the question we continually looked as we watched Willy rise to every occasion!