Touching Spirit Bear

Remarks about Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Back cover reads:
"cole Matthews has been fighting, stealing, and raising hell for years. So his punishment for beating Peter Driscal senseless is harsh. Given a choice between prison and Native American Circle Justice, Cole chooses Circle Justice: He'll spend one year in complete isolation on a remote Alaskan island. In the first days of his banishment, Cole is mauled by a mysterious white bear and nearly dies. Now there's no one left to save Cole, but Cole himself."
(let me just say that this synopsis ends terribly!)

My reaction:
LOVE IT! it smacks of Paulsen's Hatchet. I love survival stories! This one is pretty great. We get to know Cole very well- his history, how he feels about things, how he reacts, how he grows, and what he learns. It's a great bildungsroman story. I like how he leaves you wanting more about Peter and Cole's relationship. I really fought the urge to want resolution to their story, but that's not really the focus of the book. The focus is about Cole and the changes he needs to make. I really like it because I like survival/woodsy stories. I could also relate to Cole on a personal level through the relationship he has with his father. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes nature or camping. It's intended audience is guys ages 13 and up, i'd say. It was an alacritous read for 287 pages. I would certainly use it in my classroom, and it wins the word nerd seal of approval. yay!

A few quotes:
"I just know that my dad's not going to ever come back to say he's sorry. Even if he did, he couldn't change what he did. He couldn't take away the memories" (157).

"The whole world is a hot dog" (164).