Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Cole Matthews, the main character of Touching Spirit Bear, is a self-centered and angry boy. After attacking another boy, Peter Driscoll, and smashing Peter’s head into the concrete, Cole Matthews must face the consequences. In lieu of receiving jail time, he is banished to an island off the coast of Alaska through a program called Circle Justice, which aims to heal all people involved. However, the same anger that leads to Cole’s banishment also destroys his chance of survival on the island and success in the program. Within the first few days on the island, Cole burns down his shelter and supplies, unsuccessfully swims away from the island, and is attacked by the Spirit Bear. Just days after arriving on the island, Cole lays near death. Will he survive? Will he grow out of his self-centered and angry ways? Will anyone, including Cole and Peter, heal through this program? Read Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen to find out.

If you are looking to read about a character who will frustrate you, read this book. If you are looking for a character who you’ll end up feeling sorry for, read this book. If you are looking for a story that will make you feel a wide range of emotions, read this book. At first, I didn’t like the character Cole for the monstrous things he did. Then, I felt sorry for him. Finally, I was rooting for him! My one complaint about this book was that I wanted the story to continue. Luckily, it does in Mikaelsen’s sequel “Ghost of Spirit Bear.”


Awards:
YALSA best Book for Young Adults, ALA - 2002
North Dakota Flicker Tale Award - 2002
Nautilus Award for Young Adult Literature - 2002
California Young Reader Medal - 2003
Nevada Young Reader Award - 2003
Wisconsin Golden Archer Award - 2004
Florida Sunshine State Award - 2004
Nebraska Golden Sower Award - 2004
The Wyoming Soaring Eagle Award - 2004
Minnesota Maude Hart Lovelace Book Award – 2004

Links:

Learn more about Ben Mikaelson at http://www.benmikaelsen.com/

Read another review at KidsRead.com: http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0380977443.asp