Paula Fox

  • 21

    Catalog books

  • 26

    Works

  • 1968 to 2011

    Strongest span

Who This Author Is

Paula Fox writes spare, emotionally precise stories that follow children and adults through moments of loss, longing, and quiet moral change. Her books—ranging from The Slave Dancer and The Stone-Faced Boy to multiple versions of The Eagle Kite—focus on interior lives shaped by displacement, difficult choices, and small acts of courage.

Across short novels and longer explorations, Fox favors plain language that reveals character through detail and restraint. Whether tracing a young person’s survival in historical hardship or a contemporary search for belonging, her work privileges empathy, moral complexity, and the lingering effects of memory.

Best Place To Start

One-Eyed Cat

Random House Childrens Books • 1998 • standard commitment

It helps anchor a specific period of this author’s publishing run instead of blending into the undated shelf clutter.

Author At A Glance

Best known for: Children's and young adult fiction • Evocative, compact storytelling • Historical settings and moral dilemmas

Genres and themes: Coming-of-age • Historical fiction • Family and identity • Moral conflict

Who this author is best for: Readers who prefer tightly written, character-focused stories with emotional depth and ethical stakes will connect with these works.

Start with a mid-length title here—try The Slave Dancer or Western Wind—and sample a shorter story like The Stone-Faced Boy to gauge tone.

Top Books To Start With

  1. One-Eyed Cat

    Random House Childrens Books • 1998 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1998 • 224 pages.

  2. Eagle Kite

    Random House Childrens Books • 1996 • quick commitment

    It stands out because it asks for less time than many of the longer volumes on this page.

  3. Western Wind

    Random House Childrens Books • 1995 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1995 • 201 pages.

  4. Desperate Characters: A Novel

    W W Norton & Co Inc • 1999 • quick commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1999 • 156 pages.

  5. Radiance Descending (Laurel-Leaf Books)

    Random House Childrens Books • 1999 • quick commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1999 • 101 pages.

  6. The Slave Dancer (Laurel-Leaf Historical Fiction)

    Tandem Library • 1999 • quick commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1999 • 138 pages.

  7. The Widow's Children

    W W Norton & Co Inc • 1999 • standard commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1999 • 224 pages.

  8. The Eagle Kite

    Scholastic • 1995 • quick commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1995 • 127 pages.

  9. Radiance Descending

    Dk Pub • 1997 • quick commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1997 • 112 pages.

  10. likely place

    Simon & Schuster • 1997 • quick commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 1997 • 78 pages.

How The Picks Compare

  • Eagle Kite is the easier short commitment, while One-Eyed Cat asks for more reading time up front.
  • Eagle Kite gives you an earlier look at this author’s shelf, while One-Eyed Cat leans later in the catalog.

More Books By Paula Fox

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