I’m always waiting for that moment where a book just clicks. Where I stop evaluating and just get lost in it. Where “I can appreciate this” morphs into “Please don’t make me leave this world.”
It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like.
Which brings me to my Kidlit Adults Will Actually Like book selection this month: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest. This is one of those books that I went into with extremely high expectations. It’s won awards. Other authors are posting videos about how it wrecked them. I was super-hyped to read it.
In other words, it had a lot to live up to. And… mostly did for me.
Let’s dive in before I go too far astray:
Synopsis
Despite his mangled body and missing eye that cause children to call him a monster, Clare is generally quite happy being the undead Usher of Deadwood Forest. He gets to guide newly deceased animals to the appropriate afterlife for them. He has ample time to read and tend his mushroom garden. It’s a quiet, orderly existence. Then Gingersnipes shows up. Not only is she an annoying badger (horrible!), the various afterlifes keep refusing to take her. As Clare tries to figure out what’s going on, his carefully structured world begins to unravel, forcing him to confront questions about identity, worth, and what comes next.
Why Adults Will Actually Like It
“Beautiful Macabre” Tone. Don’t go in expecting tension or fear. This is much closer to “endearingly odd” than unsettling. This fox may be undead and have an empty eye socket, but he grows mushrooms, makes tea, and worries about doing his job well. That contrast does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Big Ideas in a Gentle Voice. Underneath the whimsy, the book grapples with truly weighty themes: grief, self-worth, purpose, and what it means to be “good.” It never gets preachy, but it’s definitely operating on a deeper level than the premise might suggest.
A World That Feels Lived-In. The four afterlives, the rules around them, the idea of an usher trying to match souls to their destination — all of it feels thoughtfully constructed without being confusing or over-explained.
Sneaky Strong Emotional Core. Clare’s story is, at its heart, about someone who doesn’t see his own worth. That thread is what truly gives the book its staying power.
If you’re a parent looking for something thoughtful without being heavy, a teacher wanting a book that opens the door to conversations about big topics, or just someone who appreciates a story that takes something potentially dark and makes it feel unexpectedly gentle, this one is worth your time.
Buy The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest here.
Have you read it? What did you think? Did the tone work for you, or did you want it to lean a little more into the “creepy” side?