The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

De: Aubrey Hartman

Narrado por: Marisa Calin

This delightfully grim tale follows Clare, the lonely, undying Usher of souls to the Afterlife, as an unexpected friendship turns his solitary life upside down and takes him on a heartwarming exploration of moving on. Perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Tim Burton!

Clare is the undead fox of Deadwood Forest. Here, leaves grow in a perpetual state of fall: not quite dead, but not quite alive…just like Clare. Long ago, he was struck by a car, and, hovering between life and death, he was given the choice to either cross into the Afterlife or become an Usher of wandering souls. Clare chose the latter: stepping into a solitary life of helping souls meet their destiny.

Clare’s quiet and predictable days are met with upheaval when a badger soul named Gingersnipes knocks on his door. Despite Clare’s efforts to usher her into the Afterlife, the badger is unable to find her way out of Deadwood. This is unprecedented. Baffling. A disturbing mystery which threatens the delicate balance of the living and the dead. Clare seeks the help of Hesterfowl—the visionary grouse who recently foretold of turmoil in Deadwood. But Hesterfowl divulges a shocking revelation about the badger that leaves Clare devastated, outraged, and determined to do anything to change their fate.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2025 Aubrey Hartman (P)2025 Little, Brown Young Readers

What a journey…

This book was absolutely lovely. I adored all the animal voices. Marisa is a wizard.

Delightful

My girls (11 & 9) and I listened to this on our roadtrip. Each time we hopped back into the car they requested it. In their words it was “fun, magical and liked how she used words.” Both give it 100 stars! At the end my mama heart was smiling. Well done Aubrey Hartman!

This book will draw you in, heart and soul.

I loved this book! This book will draw you in, heart and soul, and it touch you in the deepest way where you can’t help but weep . Clare and Gingersnipes instantly endeared themselves to me. I enjoyed the adventures of the clever, curious little badger and her unwilling guide to the afterlife, Clare, an undead fox usher.

Clare, Gingersnipes and the Baird narrator lead us down a deeply thought provoking tale of life, loss and the afterlife. It is about friendship, acceptance, karma, and finding peace. It isn’t just for young readers, but a deeper story learning to accept death and gather joy instead of wading through sorrow. It is about love both for yourself and others.

To top the tale off you are surrounded by a dark and beautiful autumnal forest. Who doesn’t love Fall, a forest and forlorn forest creatures?
I could go on and on. It made me laugh, apply profound thoughts to my own life and tear up over the dear sweetness of the characters story. I found myself holding my breath page after page, tears brimming in my eyes.

This book draws you in and warms your heart. I highly recommend.

Absolutely Charming

Beautifully charming story with amazing narration. It’s as if Beatrix Potter and Tim Burton wrote a story together.

I liked how all the different animals had specific particulars about them. It made each of them feel bright and unique.

The story touched my heart several times. The author does a great job sprinkling little clues throughout the story for the ending surprises.

The author’s note at the end was so thoughtful.
I would definitely love a sequel.

All Good

This was one of those rare stories that I could listen to and just thoroughly enjoy all of it. It had a great story, charming characters, and a top-ten narrator. And it seems we may even get a sequel. Clearly we have all been sent to the Realm of Pleasure.

Phenomenal

Originally I did not know how I would feel about this book, but I’m so very happy I took the chance with it because it’s absolutely lovely. The story, the characters, the narrator, the sound effects! Everything was great!

This Audio Book Will Stay With You.

A beautifully written, lovely and poignant story that is performed perfectly! I highly recommend. Side note: I’m an adult who normally doesn’t read this genre but it came highly recommended so I gave it a chance and I’m so glad I did. This one is special and I loved it.