Touching Spirit
Bear, by Ben
Mikaelsen, is a book about a boy who's made pretty bad choices in life. Because
of his most recent crimes, robbing a store, and smashing Peter Driscal's head
into the sidewalk until he was pulled away by 4-5 kids, Cole Matthews has to
live on a remote island in Alaska for 1 whole year. During his first few days
on the island, he faces a spirit bear. Cole tries to eliminate it, but instead
of him killing the bear, the bear almost brings him to death. While Cole is
fighting for his life, he realizes that he is not a bad person, he just made
some bad decisions. After about six months of rehabilitation in the hospital,
he is sent back to the island, but this time, he has to buy his own supplies by
selling his most of his outdoor stuff, and build his own shelter. Garvey, his
parole officer, and Edwin, a Tlingit elder, stayed with Cole until he finished
building his cabin, which would be his new home for one whole year. After about
9 months, Edwin visits Cole, but he has some terrible news to deliver to Cole.
Apparently, Peter has tried to commit suicide. A few weeks go by, and Peter
tries to kill himself, again. Cole suggests to Edwin that Peter should come to
the island, where he can learn to forgive, just like Cole. In about 2 weeks of
trying to convince Peters parents, and Peter himself to come, they finally
arrive on the island. Peter’s parents decided to stay until they were convinced
that Cole has changed. Peter didn't like the idea of living on an island with
Cole, so he didn't say a word to Cole after 2 full weeks since he arrived. The
first time he talked to Cole was when Cole was forced to sleep in the rain in a
tent because Peter didn't trust him. Day after day, when Garvey left the cabin,
Peter would try to mess with Cole to get back at him. On one particular day,
Peter wrecks Cole's bear carving on his totem pole. Cole suggested that Peter
should make his own totem pole because he was great at carving. Then, one day
as summer arrived, Peter asked Garvey if he and Cole could soak in the pond
alone. On the way there, Peter tries to beat Cole up, but Cole didn't find
back. Peter and Cole end up seeing the spirit bear because they forgave each
other. They became part of the circle. When they get back to camp, Peter carves
the bear he wrecked on Cole's totem pole, and they figure out what to carve to
represent healing.
A very important theme in Touching
Spirit Bear is that you have
to forgive to be able to let go of anger. While Cole was in the hospital, he
forgave his mom for when she didn’t try to stop his dad from beating Cole up.
"Cole felt embarrassed, but did not push away. Instead, he placed his hand
on her shoulders until she released him" (118). Also, when Peter forgave
Cole for smashing his head into the sidewalk by letting go of his anger. He
beat Cole up, but Cole didn’t fight back. "This morning, we forgave each
other, we forgave ourselves" (239). Because he forgave his mom, Peter, and
himself, he is now happy. "I learned to forgive, not just others, but also
myself" (214).
I
would recommend Touching
Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
to a friend because it's a very interesting story. A person with a lot of
attitude would enjoy this book because they have the same personality. The
sequel to this book is called Ghost
of Spirit Bear. In the
beginning, Peter and Cole become best friends, and they get into trouble in an
abandoned hotel. Another novel that I would recommend by the same author is
Petey. When Petey was born, his parents don’t want him because he has a
physical disability called Cerebral Palsy. He only had 2 human friends named
Trevor and Calvin. Some of his friends were mice in the mental asylum he was
sent to. This book is very sad, so beware of the tears. Touching Spirit Bear is a very interesting story by Ben
Mikaelsen who also wrote the novel, Petey, that I would recommend to my
friends.
The
Spirit Bear, also known as "Kermode Bear," is a subspecies of Black Bears. Kermode
Bear was named after Francis Kermode who researched the subspecies of these
Spirit Bears. Most of the Bears live in the coast of British Columbia. A male
bear can weigh up to 225 kg (500 lbs.) or more. Females are much smaller than
males. They can reach up to 135 kg (300 lbs.). There are about 400, or fewer,
that live in the coast of Southeast Alaska that stretches out to Vancouver,
British Columbia. Spirit Bears are majestic species of black bears, but they
are not albinos, and they are also called Kermode Bears.
The Spirit Bear by: The Nature Conservancy
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