Arthur, a fox "groundling" born with one ear, is the hero of this novel and his supporting cast is brave and sweet and endearing. The neglect and abuse of the groundlings (animals with human characteristics like speech and sometimes humans with animal characteristics like a head full of feathers) was heart-breaking at times, so be prepared. It was never gratuitous, serving to illustrate the evil Miss Carbunkle's character and making Arthur's hero's journey that much more meaningful.

Trinket, Arthur's best friend, was probably my favorite character. She is a wingless bird who bounces uncontrollably when excited - I felt I could relate. Definitely a book to read to your young person. Judge for yourself on the age, as a mature 10 year old might really enjoy this, but it might be too much for some. The adventure of it all may be the thing that sticks out to a young mind, rather than the bad treatment of the characters.

Overall, I am so excited that this book is being turned into a movie and I cannot wait to see what they do with it! The author's illustrations are subdued and powerful. Hopefully they stick to that sort of industrial grays pallate for the film. Mira Bartok is also a local author for me, frequenting the library I work at, so that always endears you to someone's writing, I'm sure!