SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: CHAMPIONS OF THE FOX
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://kevinsandsbooks.com
CITY: Toronto
STATE:
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 318
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Canada.
EDUCATION:Earned degrees.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Has worked as researcher, business consultant, educator, and professional poker player.
AWARDS:Cybils Award for Middle-Grade Fiction, Parents’ Choice Gold Award, and Chicago Public Library Best Books selection, all 2015, Best Children’s Book selection, Bank Street College of Education, Notable Book selection, American Library Association, Arthur Ellis Award finalist in juvenile category, Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize finalist, Edgar Award finalist in juvenile category, Mystery Writers of America, and IODE Violet Downey Award, all 2016, and Red Cedar Award, 2017, all for The Blackthorn Key.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Although Kevin Sands earned degrees in theoretical physics and has a resume that includes researcher, teacher, and professional poker player, he found his calling as a writer, producing the “Blackthorn Key Adventure” novels for middle graders. (open new1)Sands later moved on to the bestselling “Thieves of Shadow” series. In an interview in Famous Writing Routines, talked about the influences on his writing. He stated: “I’ve been lucky to meet many good friends in the writing community, and it’s always interesting to talk to them about books and the industry, but when it comes to writing, I’ve mainly just kind of done my own thing. My stories have been influenced mostly by the books I grew up with and loved, especially adventures, mysteries, thrillers, and fantasy, none of which were never set locally, so it’s not something I tend to consider when writing.”(close new1)
Beginning with The Blackthorn Key, Sands’s series takes readers back to the seventeenth century, where a teenage orphan turns sleuth while working for a London apothecary. Set in in 1665, The Blackthorn Key introduces Christopher Rowe, a fourteen-year-old who is excited to learn about chemicals and their applications from talented apothecary Benedict Blackthorn. When several local apothecaries are murdered and Blackthorn is attacked, Christopher teams up with friends Tom and Molly to find the perpetrator, using decoding skills, alchemy, and a dash of magic along the way. “An exciting and self-assured tale,” according to a Publishers Weekly contributor, The Blackthorn Key “should have broad appeal” to middle graders. In School Librarian, Carolyn Copland commended the “sense of time and place” in the story, as well as its mix of “believable characters and interesting sub-plots.” A Kirkus Reviews critic wrote that Sands’s “stunning and smart mystery is made even better by well-researched historical detail, intriguing characters, and genuinely funny moments,” and School Library Journal contributor Chad Lane recommended The Blackthorn Key as “an auspicious debut.”
Christopher’s adventures continue in Mark of the Plague, as the Black Death returns to the City of London and brings with it death and despair. When a stranger arrives with a cure and Blackthorn is commissioned to prepare it, the apothecary’s safety is again put in jeopardy. Sands’s series plays out in The Assassin’s Curse, as more danger awaits, along with a trip to Paris and a meeting with England’s King Charles. Praising Mark of the Plague as an “exciting” sequel to The Blackthorn Key that is “filled with action, puzzles, ciphers, and secret treasure,” Jewel Davis added in Voice of Youth Advocates that the author “captures the fear of the [plague] outbreak and uses this fear to heighten the tension” in his story. Citing Sands’s ability to evoke the palpable fear of those dwelling in 1665 London, Katie Bircher added in Horn Book Guide that “Christopher’s first-person narration [is] full of curiosity and humor.”
“Though I’ve been an avid reader since before I can remember, I never had any interest in writing when I was younger,” Sands told Natalie Aguirre in an interview for Literary Rambles online. After a friend urged him to consider writing, he attempted several screenplays as well as the script for a children’s television show, none of which were produced. As he recalled to Aguirre, “It wasn’t until later, after I really buckled down and got to work, that I started writing novels and finally realized that this was what I wanted to do.”
Speaking with Shannon Maughan in Publishers Weekly, Sands discussed his approach to the “Blackthorn Key Adventures” tales, explaining: “I wanted it to have the fun and adventure of a middle-grade novel but the plotting and pacing of an adult thriller.” He chose to set his “Blackthorn Key” series in 1660s London, the period known as the Restoration, because it “was such a rich time for storytelling,” and he focuses on apothecaries because he finds them “pretty cool”: their profession involves “potions, poisons, secret codes, and so on.”
(open new2)In Children of the Fox, fourteen-year-old Callan is a thief who may have bitten off more than he can chew after joining a risky heist offered by Mr. Solomon. The payoff, however, could lead to him getting out of the con business completely. He teams up with other teens, including flexible knife expert Merial, supplier Lachlan, intelligent Gareth, and surreal climber Foxtail. They are tasked with stealing a magical jewel from the High Weaver of the Spellweavers. Writing in School Library Journal, Heidi Grange claimed that “Sands has created a rip-roaring story full of frantic twists and turns that leave readers questioning what is real.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor pointed out that “Callan is an excellent narrator.” The same critic called the novel “a page-turner filled with charming rogues and expert plots.”
In Seekers of the Fox, Lachlan is mortally wounded. Cal hopes that his bonding with the Dragon’s Eye will help save him somehow. When Lachlan’s wound heals, he finds that his soul has been stained. A storyteller advises Cal that Lachlan can still be saved if they find a pair of magical swords. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “a fun heist is a reward for expository worldbuilding.” The same critic noted that “the climax even delights in genre conventions.”
Cal begins having visions in Champions of the Fox. The Eye orders the team to free a man that has been held captive for one hundred years in the emperor’s private island prison. As Cal and the others do what they must to follow the Eye’s commands so they can free themselves from it, Cal digs deeper into the Eye’s overall objective, which greatly frightens him as it risks the destruction of everything they know.
A contributor to Cracking the Cover concluded that “Champions of the Fox is an excellent series finale. I highly recommend the entire series for kids who love adventure, mystery and magic. Though the books are thick — between 400 and 450 pages each — they move quickly. They’re fairly cinematic reads sure to keep readers engaged.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor described it as being “a trilogy closer that provides partial answers, resulting in a conclusion that feels incomplete.”(close new2)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 15, 2015, Ariel Zeitlin Cooke, review of The Blackthorn Key, p. 65.
Horn Book Guide, March 22, 2017, Katie Bircher, review of Mark of the Plague.
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2015, review of The Blackthorn Key; September 1, 2021, review of Children of the Fox; September 15, 2022, review of Seekers of the Fox; October 1, 2023, review of Champions of the Fox.
Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), September 21, 2015, Ken Raymond, review of The Blackthorn Key.
Publishers Weekly, June 29, 2015, review of The Blackthorn Key, p. 69; December 2, 2015, review of The Blackthorn Key, p. 79; December 14, 2015, Shannon Maughan, interview with Kevin Sands, p. 21.
School Librarian, December 22, 2015, Carolyn Copland, review of The Blackthorn Key, p. 232.
School Library Journal, August 1, 2015, Chad Lane, review of The Blackthorn Key, p. 91; November 1, 2021, Heidi Grange, review of Children of the Fox, p. 72.
Teacher Librarian, February 1, 2016, Kathleen Odean, “A Touch of Magic,” p. 43.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October 1, 2016, Jewel Davis, review of Mark of the Plague, p. 67.
ONLINE
Cracking the Cover, https://www.crackingthecover.com/ (December 7, 2023), review of Champions of the Fox.
Famous Writing Routines, https://famouswritingroutines.com/ (September 14, 2023), author interview.
Kevin Sands website, http://kevinsandsbooks.com (April 4, 2024).
Literary Rambles online, http://www.literaryrambles.com/ (September 9, 2015), Natalie Aguirre, interview with Sands.
Nerd Daily, https://thenerddaily.com/ (October 13, 2021), Elise Dumpleton, “Q&A: Kevin Sands, Author of ‘Children of the Fox.'”
Kevin Sands
Since escaping from university with a pair of degrees in theoretical physics, Kevin Sands has worked as a researcher, a business consultant, a teacher, and a professional poker player. He lives in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of the bestselling The Blackthorn Key and Thieves of Shadow series.
I love to hear from readers! Contact me below. (I do try to respond to all queries, so if you haven't heard from me within 2-3 weeks, please check your spam/junk filters, especially if you're writing from a school. If there's still no message, try resending yours; sometimes the problem is an incorrect email address. And students: if you're using a school email, check if your school allows you to receive emails from outside addresses—many don't!)
Teachers, Librarians, and Educators: I am available for appearances, in person and via Skype. Contact me for rates and availability.
Kevin Sands
Since escaping from university with a pair of degrees in theoretical physics, Kevin Sands has worked as a researcher, a business consultant, a teacher, and a professional poker player. He lives in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of the bestselling The Blackthorn Key series.
Genres: Children's Fiction
New and upcoming books
November 2023
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Champions of the Fox
(Thieves of Shadow, book 3)
Series
Blackthorn Key
1. The Blackthorn Key (2015)
2. Mark of the Plague (2016)
3. The Assassin's Curse (2017)
4. Call of the Wraith (2018)
5. The Traitor's Blade (2021)
6. The Raven's Revenge (2023)
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Thieves of Shadow
1. Children of the Fox (2021)
2. Seekers of the Fox (2022)
3. Champions of the Fox (2023)
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Q&A: Kevin Sands, Author of ‘Children of the Fox’
Elise Dumpleton·Writers Corner·October 13, 2021·4 min read
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Ocean’s Eleven meets The False Prince in this thrilling heist story for young readers, in which five kids with unusual talents are brought together to commit an impossible crime. Failure is unacceptable … but success could be deadly.
We chat with author Kevin Sands about his latest book release Children of the Fox, along with worldbuilding, writing, and more!
Hi, Kevin! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a former physics teacher and poker player turned full-time author—and I’m just as surprised about that as you are. I have two series at the moment: the Blackthorn Key adventures, and my brand new fantasy, Thieves of Shadow, which kicks off this month with Children of the Fox.
With the year gradually coming to a close, how has 2021 been for you?
Productive! I’ve released two books this year—the aforementioned Children of the Fox, and The Traitor’s Blade (Blackthorn Key #5). I’ve also written two more books that will be out next year. I must say I’ve been lucky in that the pandemic and the lockdowns have actually given me more writing time, since I’m not traveling for work anymore.
Unfortunately, that’s also a huge downside. I really miss getting out there and meeting readers. I’m just hoping we’ll be back to normal soon.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
First book I remember reading is Clifford the Big Red Dog. Tintin would have been a close second—though always first in my heart.
While I’ve been an avid reader since before I can remember, I never thought about being an author! I only became interested in that much later in life. By then, countless writers had influenced me; Michael Crichton being one of the biggest.
Recursion, by Blake Crouch, absolutely blew me away. Mind-bendingly brilliant; the best thriller I’ve read in ages.
Your new novel, Children of the Fox, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
A high-stakes fantasy action-adventure heist.
What can readers expect?
Con artists, pickpockets, mysterious enchantments, big twists, fun, friendship, and adventure!
Where did the inspiration for Children of the Fox come from?
I had the basic idea for a long time—a thief gets hired to steal a magic jewel and things go very, very wrong—but I just let it sit in the back of my mind for years. Once I finally decided to write it, I drew on my love of fantasy, my enjoyment of heist movies, and my fascination with con artists who use their talents for good, à la Patrick Jane from the TV show The Mentalist.
Can you tell us a bit about your worldbuilding process?
Once I have the basic premise and a sense of who my main characters will be, I begin to think about what kind of world would make for an interesting story, both as a whole and with regards to individual scenes. Is there a magic system, for example, and if so, how does it work? What about technology? How do they dress? And so on.
Once I have the most immediate elements, I then step back and take a wider view, thinking about the broader world. What are peoples’ lives like? What is the government or power structure? Are there factions, alliances, or rivalries? How does the economy run? Is there a class system? What about religion? The difference between rural and urban living? What about the ecology of the world, or different biomes? If there are monsters or magical creatures, what is their life cycle?
What you want is to have a sense of the lives of the people your main characters pass on the street but don’t interact with. All this has three purposes: First, it fleshes out a world that will feel real to readers. Second, you’ll understand as a writer how the world can affect your characters and their story. And third, it may prompt new ideas for scenes, events, or other interesting elements, especially in an ongoing series. The more you think about this stuff, the more options you’ll have for great storytelling.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Writing the twists is always fun: the ramp-up, and then the reveal of what’s really going on—but I can’t tell you about those without massive spoilers! It was also fun to write scenes between our thieves, watching their friendship grow, because that’s a great place to add humor.
Children of the Fox is the first installment in the Thieves of Shadow series. Can you give us a little tease as to what may come next?
Really hard to do without spoilers, but I can say our friends find themselves in big trouble and have to go on a new adventure for hidden treasure. It’ll be time for a new heist—and their most dangerous con yet.
What has been the best and worst writing advice that you’ve received or heard?
The best advice came before I started to work on novels, when I was trying to write screenplays. Terry Rossio (Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean) said that in a screenplay, every line has to either advance the plot, advance the character, or get a laugh—and the best lines do more than one of those. While novels are a very different medium, I’ve nonetheless taken that to heart. No chapter, scene, paragraph or even line makes the cut if it isn’t part of the process that does one of those three things. It really helps turn stories into page-turners.
See also
Q&A: Madeline Kay Sneed, Author of ‘Today Tonight Forever’
I think the worst advice is that tired old saying, write what you know. It’s why too many aspiring writers’ first manuscript is a thinly-veiled telling of their life story. What the advice should really say is: Write what you love. Stories and genres you love will be what you’re most passionate about, and that’s how you’ll create your best work.
What’s next for you?
So many things! Blackthorn Key #6 comes out next summer, followed by Thieves of Shadow #2, Seekers of the Fox, in the fall. Those manuscripts are already done, so next on my plate is Thieves of Shadow #3, which will finish the trilogy.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I’ll suggest a series I’m reading now: the Alex Verus novels, by Benedict Jacka. It’s a superbly entertaining urban fantasy, with a great main character and well-fleshed-out worldbuilding and magic. The twelfth and final book in the series will be out this December.
Will you be picking up Children of the Fox? Tell us in the comments below!
Interview with Kevin Sands: “3000-4000 words a day is what I aim for.”
SEPTEMBER 14, 2023
Written by
FAMOUS WRITING ROUTINES
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Since escaping from university with a pair of degrees in theoretical physics, Kevin Sands has worked as a researcher, a business consultant, a teacher, and a professional poker player. He lives in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of the bestselling The Blackthorn Key and Thieves of Shadow series.
Hi Kevin, welcome to Famous Writing Routines, great to have you here with us today! The Blackthorn Key series has received numerous awards and accolades, and has captured the imaginations of readers around the world. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the series, and how you came up with the characters and storylines?
I was actually trying to think of new ideas at the time—which rarely works—when it occurred to me that apothecaries were pretty cool: they used potions, and poisons, and secret codes, and those kinds of things. That got me thinking about an apothecary’s apprentice, and a secret people were willing to kill for. I thought that sounded like a pretty good idea, so I started to do some research, and the more I learned, the more I knew I wanted to write this story. The characters then just naturally flowed from the plotting: who do I need to tell this story, and how do I make every scene interesting?
The later books in the series were worked out in much the same way. I would start with a germ of an idea—the Great Plague of London, or a trip to Paris, or children disappearing in the countryside—and from there, I start to do research. And as I’m doing that, pieces of the plot, characters, etc. start falling into place, until the whole story is worked out and I’m ready to start the first draft.
The Blackthorn Key series has been praised for its fast-paced adventure, richly drawn characters, and historical accuracy. How do you balance the need for historical research with the desire to tell an engaging and exciting story?
The key is to remember that you are, in fact, telling a story, and not writing a PhD thesis. So all your reading and research needs to be approached with the story first and foremost in mind. To that end, you need to learn enough about the world your characters will inhabit, but not let yourself go too far down the research rabbit hole. Most of what you learn isn’t going to go into the book, anyway. I’d say about 90-95% of what I read about never gets written into the story—again, because the story is the only thing that matters.
That’s one of the great pitfalls of historical fiction, actually: adding in too much detail. It’s why you’ll occasionally see a five-page description of the interior of a room or something, which causes a lot of readers’ eyes to glaze over. You have to remember that the room doesn’t matter. It’s what happens inside the room that readers will care about. You should definitely aim to include details, but they need to be relevant, like everything else in the book. If it doesn’t advance the plot, advance the character, or get a laugh, it needs to be cut.
For me, this process generally works out to around five weeks of full-time research for each book. That’s more than enough for the purposes of worldbuilding.
You’re based in Toronto, Canada, and your books have a strong sense of place and history. How does your local community and culture influence your writing, and what are some of the challenges and opportunities of writing for a global audience?
I’ve been lucky to meet many good friends in the writing community, and it’s always interesting to talk to them about books and the industry, but when it comes to writing, I’ve mainly just kind of done my own thing. My stories have been influenced mostly by the books I grew up with and loved, especially adventures, mysteries, thrillers, and fantasy, none of which were ever set locally, so it’s not something I tend to consider when writing.
With what I’ve published so far, anything local wouldn’t have an opportunity to show up in my books regardless, since the Blackthorn Key series takes place centuries ago in a different part of the globe, and Thieves of Shadow is a fantasy set on an entirely different world.
But in terms of a global audience, I’m always thinking of that. Mainly, I believe if your books are filled with elements that are universally true: fun, and friendship, and mystery, and so on, well, those are the kinds of things with universal appeal. And readers will connect with that on a basic human level, regardless of where they live or the specific details of your story. So it always makes you happy to hear from someone on the other side of the world who’s connected with your books.
You’ve spoken in the past about the literary rejection you received from an agent, who gushed about your manuscript before ultimately declining to represent you because she felt it was too similar to a recently published book. How did you handle that rejection, and what did you learn from the experience?
I got right back to querying. Which is pretty much the only way to succeed in any sort of creative industry. While it was certainly a feelsbadman.jpg moment, it was also a great reminder that nothing’s guaranteed until you’ve signed on the dotted line.
Rejection is a common experience for many writers, but it can still be difficult to deal with, especially when it comes in the form of a yes-but-no. How do you stay motivated and focused in the face of rejection, and what advice would you give to aspiring writers who are struggling to find their footing in the industry?
You need to embrace failure.
I know that sounds strange. Our society, and in particular our school system, tends to treat failure as some terrible thing to be avoided, but nothing could be further from the truth. You only learn by doing, and pretty much no one succeeds on their first try. (People think they do because the news publicizes those few counterexamples, but those are the exceptions, and most of those stories heavily discount the truth anyway, which is that those writers were usually writing in some form for years before they published a manuscript.)
Anyway, failure is an unavoidable part of this industry. The first manuscript I sent out was rejected by everybody. The second manuscript—The Blackthorn Key—I sent to seventy-five agents. Only nine wanted to read it, only six actually did, and only four offered representation. That’s a 95% failure rate. And it was considered a colossal success!
Beyond that, understand that failures are the things you learn from. If something doesn’t work, there’s a reason for it. If you can figure out what the problems are, then figure out how to fix them, then you’re well on your way to writing solid books. Rejection is just another part of that process. Keep at it—in writing, you only truly fail when you quit.
The publishing industry is constantly evolving, with new trends and themes emerging all the time. How do you stay on top of these changes, and what steps do you take to ensure that your work is relevant and resonant with readers?
I don’t really shape what I do based on writing trends, because there’s not much I’d be able to do about them, regardless. I just write the sort of things I like, and the sort of things I think readers will like, and hope that my books will find an audience. Chasing trends is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, anyway: while there are always writers who will win that jackpot, most books will just lie forgotten. Even worse, your stories will have a very short shelf life, because when the trends change—as they always do—no one will care much about what you’ve written. Better to try to write stories that are timeless, which will give you a chance at a lifelong career.
Similarly, “relevance” isn’t something that’s particularly important to me as a reader or a writer. It’s almost the opposite: I’d much rather explore some other world, or read a story set in some field I know nothing about. (As Groucho Marx once quipped, I’ve heard everything I’ve had to say before, and I’m in no mood to listen to me again.) Basically, I’m an entertainer, and I want to be entertained, so I don’t consider current events or anything like that when creating stories. Anything that gets in the way of entertainment is anathema to me.
Resonance, on the other hand, is an essential part of storytelling, and that comes from universal truths, finding the heart in the story and making sure all the facets of that story help work toward the same goal. It’s a big topic, but for me it’s all in the plotting, infusing every scene and character with purpose.
You’ve achieved great success with the Blackthorn Key series, which has won numerous awards and garnered a devoted following. How has your experience with the series changed your approach to writing, and what have you learned about the craft and business of writing that you didn’t know before?
I’m not sure I’ve changed my approach at all—I’m more or less of the mind that if something works, don’t try and fix it, so as long as I’m still finishing books, I’d better stick with my routine. The way I wrote The Raven’s Revenge was pretty much the way I wrote The Blackthorn Key.
I’ve certainly learned a lot, though, like anyone would as they practice their craft. It’s hard to pin down, because the changes are so gradual over the years, but overall I seem to see the elements of the story more easily than I used to. Which means I don’t write all that differently, but I do write more quickly.
Can you tell us about your writing routine? What does a typical day look like for you?
My day depends entirely on what stage of a project I’m in. At the beginning, it’s all research. Reading, searching the internet, going to the library. At the same time, I’ll begin to structure the story. Usually, by the time I stop researching, I have about 80% of the plot laid out, so I’ll work out the rest over the next couple of weeks or so, writing everything down in full detail. In this stage, that’s all a full day’s work, and it usually lasts 1-2 months.
When it’s finally time to start on the manuscript, for my first drafts, I write to a word count: 3000-4000 words a day is what I aim for. So I’ll start early in the morning and work until I’ve reached my goal. And I’ll do that every day, with no days off, until the manuscript is finished. For second and subsequent drafts, I switch to a page count: typically 25 pages a day for a messy second draft, then 50-100 pages for the third, etc.—there’s less that needs changing by then, so I can go much faster.
In between drafts, I’ll let the manuscript sit for a while—at least a few weeks, if not longer—and either work on a different book, or handle other things: responding to reader emails, or preparing school presentations, or updating my website with new projects, etc.; whatever I need to do that got put on the backburner while the drafts are getting worked on. This is also when I’ll just take time off and not do much at all, just let my brain recharge.
If you could have a conversation with any author throughout history about their writing routine and creative process, who would that person be?
Michael Crichton. Not just because I love his books, but because he had the most uncanny ability to see how cutting-edge technology might affect the world and write great stories about it. A brilliant mind, and a fascinating and independent thinker.
I’d love to know about the books you’re reading at the moment. What have been some of your favorite recent reads?
After mentioning Michael Crichton, it’ll come as no surprise that I’m a big fan of technothrillers, so I recently read the latest book of one my favorite authors, Upgrade by Blake Crouch. I’ve also been on a bender with Lincoln Child’s Jeremy Logan series, which is a lot of fun. When I’m done, I’ll be returning to another one of my favorite authors, this time in modern urban fantasy: Benedict Jacka, and his brilliant Alex Verus series.
What does your current writing workspace look like?
Well, I just finished working on Champions of the Fox, the final book in my Thieves of Shadow series, so I’m between projects right now, which means my office is actually clean! So at the moment, it’s nothing but my computer on a big, empty desk, looking out over some pretty woods. When it comes time to work on something new, out comes the notepad, and the research books, and then it’ll just be a big mess.
SANDS, Kevin. Children of the Fox. 416p. (Thieves of Shadow). Viking . Oct. 2021. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780593327517.
Gr 5 Up--This stunning tale of betrayal, trickery, and friendship takes the reader on a wild ride. Callan, a 14-year-old thief, accepts an invitation to participate in a heist that offers tremendous rewards. But he soon learns the possibility of great reward carries with it great risk. Con artist Callan teams up with four other children: Merial, the gymnastic knife expert; Gareth, head of intel; Lachlan, who can acquire supplies; and Foxtail, who can climb any and everywhere. The foursome combine their skills in an attempt to steal an artifact of great but unknown power. Even if they succeed, the price may be more than they are willing to pay. As the stakes get higher, it will take every skill these children possess to overcome the challenges in their way--assuming they survive at all. Sands has created a rip-roaring story full of frantic twists and turns that leave readers questioning what is real and what is not. The magic is believable, and the world is easy to imagine. And one cannot help but root for these young protagonists whose lives have been so difficult and yet who manage to hope for a better future. Characters are cued as white. VERDICT A fabulous choice for libraries where action-packed fantasies are popular.--Heidi Grange, Summit Elem. Sch., Smithfield, UT
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Grange, Heidi. "SANDS, Kevin. Children of the Fox." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 11, Nov. 2021, p. 72. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A683721482/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=78250612. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
Sands, Kevin CHILDREN OF THE FOX Viking (Children's None) $17.99 10, 5 ISBN: 978-0-593-32751-7
In a world of Spellweavers and airships, a team comes together for a legendary heist.
Callan's a gaffer--a con artist who pulls gaffs--in desperate need of money to escape his life of crime when he receives an offer that sounds too good to be true. Mysterious Mr. Solomon invites him to his mansion, where Callan's introduced to the rest of a recruited team of kid criminals, including acrobatic knife thrower Meriel; Lachlan, who can procure any necessary supplies through his networks; Gareth, a researcher gifted with sleight of hand who stutters; and a cat burglar called Foxtail who wears a solid metal face mask and never speaks. The job? Stealing a magical jewel from not just any Spellweaver, but the High Weaver himself, a dangerous opponent who is already on guard following failed attempts to retrieve the Eye--and they only have three days to do it. Callan is an excellent narrator, constantly observing body language for tells that reveal secrets as the kids plan an elaborate, multistage operation to break into a seemingly unbreakable location, all with a life-changing financial prize on the line. He provides clarity through the twists, reveals, and the growing bonds of the team. By the end, interludes while the team plans give readers breathing space between increasingly weighty action sequences, leading to a cliffhanger. Most characters default to White; Foxtail has brown skin.
A page-turner filled with charming rogues and expert plots. (Fantasy. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Sands, Kevin: CHILDREN OF THE FOX." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673649890/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=10e7592d. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
Sands, Kevin SEEKERS OF THE FOX Viking (Children's None) $17.99 10, 18 ISBN: 978-0-593-32754-8
Following Children of the Fox (2021), Callan's band of thieves plans a heist to save one of their own.
Lachlan--small even for his 10 years--is mortally wounded. Cal's only hope is that the Dragon's Eye (a powerful, less-than-trustworthy magical artifact that bonded with him) will lead them to Lachlan's salvation. The Eye delivers, but their relief is short-lived, as the primeval magic that saved him leaves a stain on Lachlan's soul--and will eventually consume him completely. Cal still owes the Eye his assistance in return for its previous help, and it guides them to a storyteller who gives him hope for Lachlan as they learn of long-lost relics, a pair of magical swords--one possessing the power to heal. In subsequent action, the band of thieves navigates through their world's lost history and mythology on a quest that will take them diving to reach a shipwreck and ends with a major heist. The climax even delights in genre conventions, cutting from the action to flashbacks of the planning and scheming. The text offers frequent reminders of the characters' wants and the plot's stakes; the slowdown from the repetitive recapping will frustrate some readers but be helpful for those who need to read the lengthy book in shorter chunks. Overarching mysteries about side characters are added to, and the ending preps for the next installment. Characters default to White.
A fun heist is a reward for expository worldbuilding. (Fantasy. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Sands, Kevin: SEEKERS OF THE FOX." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A717107258/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a243b364. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
Sands, Kevin CHAMPIONS OF THE FOX Viking (Children's None) $18.99 11, 7 ISBN: 9780593620953
The band of thieves pull their biggest job yet in this trilogy closer.
After the events of Seekers of the Fox (2022), the mysterious Eye continues to give Cal bossy orders--and obeying is the only way to get its voice out of his skull. While the young thieves travel to a new city--one that prides itself on progress and embraces technology over the Weavers' magic--Cal also starts to have strange dreams that turn out to be more than just dreams. There's a bit of a slow build-up as the team finds their footing in the new town (which includes interacting with the dangerous local head of the Breakers), only to learn that the Eye's mission for them--finding the Hollow Man--actually requires a jailbreak from the kingdom's most secure prison. To give weight and stakes to following (or disobeying) the Eye, there's plenty of lore, which, while clearly well thought out, does sometimes get in the way of the convoluted cons and heisting that the team must pull off. Though the lore is important for the final confrontation, the story is stronger when it stays closer to the young protagonists. The ending thoroughly wraps up the mythical, magical storylines but leaves numerous plotlines relating to human threats dangling. Most characters read white.
A trilogy closer that provides partial answers, resulting in a conclusion that feels incomplete. (Fantasy. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Sands, Kevin: CHAMPIONS OF THE FOX." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A766904072/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a82ccb36. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
Kevin Sands’ Champions of the Fox is excellent enDECEMBER 7, 2023AGES 8-12, MIDDLE GRADE
CHAMPIONS OF THE FOX (Thieves of Shadow), by Kevin Sands, Viking Books for Young Readers, Nov. 7, 2023, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 8-12)
Five young thieves are tasked with breaking a prisoner out of an impenetrable fortress in Champions of the Fox, the final book in Kevin Sands’ Thieves of Shadow trilogy.
“Follow my instructions, and when our task is done, I will release you.”
Commanded by the magical artifact known as the Dragon’s Eye, junior con artist Callan and his friends are eagerly reaching the end of the epic quest that will finally free him from the Eye’s sinister hold. But their final task is their most ambitious: sneaking into the emperor’s private island prison and rescuing a man from a jail cell that has been locked tight for a hundred years. This impossible heist will strain the gang’s unique abilities to thieve and deceive everyone from the guards, the city elite, the warden, and even the nefarious local crime boss who warns them to stay away.
As the friends plan out their last and most difficult con job, Callan begins to question what they’re helping the Eye to achieve. Aided by magical hints and fitful dreams, Callan slowly uncovers the Eye’s true desires. To his horror, he realizes that he may be the one being conned all this time . . . and his mistake could cost the world’s entire existence. —Synopsis provided by Viking Books for Young Readers
The Thieves of Shadow series centers on a ragtag group of kids that join forces among unexpected circumstances. The first book, Children of the Fox, follows five young criminals as they work to steal a heavily guarded magical treasure. In Seekers of the Fox the group searches for a pair of magical swords.
All three books build on each other and should be read in order. And they are worth checking out, especially now, since you can read the trilogy in its entirety.
Once again, the story unfolds through Callan’s eyes. Callan is a gaffer — aka a con artist — who knows his way around a good gaff. He’s clever and is always thinking a few steps ahead. He’s matured since the first book, and is no longer in this adventure for himself. And while his snark has died down a bit, he’s become a more compelling character, and his connection to his friends is what’s at the heart of the story.
In Champions of the Fox, author Kevin Sands stays true to the world he’s created. The kids are still thieves, the world is still dangerous and the magic is fantastical. And there’s lots of mystery and plot twists that readers won’t see coming. Sands is great at giving you just enough information to keep you turning the pages without guessing the outcome or getting tired of the story.
Champions of the Fox is an excellent series finale. I highly recommend the entire series for kids who love adventure, mystery and magic. Though the books are thick — between 400 and 450 pages each — they move quickly. They’re fairly cinematic reads sure to keep readers engaged.