Chen Jiatong: White Fox (Chicken House Ltd. 2019)
Chen Jiatong is currently one of the most popular Chinese authors. The idea came to him by looking out the window one night as a child, seeing a figure who looked like a man, but his face resembled that of an arctic fox. It would have scared me to death, but he then invented the figure of the god of arctic foxes, from which this story later evolved.
We can follow the adventures of Dilah, whose only desire is to become human. Along the way, he also encounters other animals who are helping or just want to prevent him from achieving his goal.
It was overly exciting to read a work by a Chinese author as I have not yet encountered a Chinese middle grade novel. In China, the series has six volume. The story was translated to English by Jennifer Feeley. The writer himself stated that translation is important because it breaks down the boundaries of language. I think this is a genuinely nice idea. I bought the book back in 2019, right after the English release, but somehow, I haven’t read it yet. Now, apart from the fact that I really liked it I feel particularly lucky for having the second part be released in April, so I don’t have to wait too long to continuation.
