The last bear

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The last bear

Title :

The last bear / Hannah Gold ; illustrations by Kate Slater.

Title:

The last bear

Author:

Gold, Hannah

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

280 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

ISBN:

9780063041073

9780063041004

Production / Publication Information:

New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2021]

Summary:

"There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that's what April's father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost for six months. But one night, April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon. A polar bear who shouldn't be there--who is hungry, lonely, and a long way from home. As their unlikely bond grows, April is determined to save her new friend--and so begins the biggest and most important journey of her life."--

Target audience note:

Ages 8-12.

Language:

English

Added Author:

Slater, Kate, 1986-

Geographic Term:

Arctic regions -- Juvenile fiction.

Subject Term:

Girls -- Juvenile fiction.

Fathers and daughters -- Juvenile fiction.

Polar bears -- Juvenile fiction.

Human-animal relationships -- Juvenile fiction.

Wildlife conservation -- Juvenile fiction.

Islands -- Juvenile fiction.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	MG F GOLD (SF)	31990005026518	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library Children's Room	J GOLD	31330009004114	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Billerica Public Library	J/GOLD	33934004378577	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Boxford Town Library	J GOL	32115002133732	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	J GOLD	32116003783053	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groton Public Library	JFIC GOL	37003701847734	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groveland - Langley-Adams Library	J FIC GOLD	32121000875001	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	J GOL	30470001960789	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	J/FIC/GOLD	31479007475972	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Ipswich Public Library	J GOLD	32122002919219	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library	J FIC GOL	32124001980325	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Merrimac Public Library	J GOL	32125001354247	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Middleton - Flint Public Library	J GOLD	32126001776538	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newbury Town Library	J GOL	32127001265563	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	J GOL	31478003777639	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Tewksbury Public Library	J FICTION GOLD	32132003273847	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

An instant classic with a bear-sized heart, Hannah Gold's debut novel is a touching story of kindness, adventure, and forging your own path--perfect for fans of Pax and A Wolf Called Wander.

There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that's what April's father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost.

But one night, April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon. A polar bear who shouldn't be there--who is hungry, lonely and a long way from home.

An excellent choice for readers in grades 3 to 7, this fierce celebration of friendship includes full-page black-and-white illustrations throughout, as well as information about the real Bear Island and the plight of the polar bears.

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--5--A novel that immerses the reader headfirst into the cold, bare landscape of the Arctic melting under the effects of climate change. Young April and her scientist father travel to Bear Island for his research. Ironically, no bears are believed to be left. That is, until April catches a glimpse of a malnourished polar bear. They form a friendship as April nurses him back to health. She discovers that he has been stranded on the island for many years and devises a plan to get him home to Svalbard before her time in the North comes to an end. Gold's debut middle grade novel is a bold, unapologetic look into the devastating effects of climate change and its impact on wildlife. Scientific facts and statistics are seamleassly integrated into the narrative, strengthening the book's urgent tone. While the themes are clear and compelling, certain plot points remain nebulous, such as how April is able to communicate so well with the bear (a gift briefly tied to her late mother) or how her father seems unconcerned with her wandering the island alone all day. These small details will likely not bother young readers, who will be eager to find out if Bear makes his way home. Sections of the book are divided by gentle black-and-white illustrations that help bring April's story to life. The author includes a helpful and informative note at the end about the real Bear Island she used as inspiration. VERDICT A fast-paced novel that will awaken or strengthen readers' concern for their environment and that has the potential to act as a powerful discussion tool in classrooms and book clubs.--Katherine Hickey, Metropolitan Lib. Syst., Oklahoma City

Publisher's Weekly Review

Though debut author Gold conveys the danger of approaching polar bears, this lightly fantastical tale will have readers dreaming of an ursine friend of their own. Ever since her mother's death seven years before this book's start, April Wood, 11, has lived alone with her neglectful father, whose job at a nearby university researching weather patterns makes for an unpredictable schedule. When he secures a six-month-long position measuring temperatures for the Norwegian government on secluded Bear Island, April has nothing but a set of encyclopedias to keep her busy in the arctic circle. But sensitive April, who knows the key to making animals feel safe lies in listening to them, has a knack for befriending wild animals. When she meets an injured polar bear, she helps him heal and regain weight. As the two grow closer and embark on adventures together, April soon learns that the melting ice caps mean Bear can't travel to other areas with polar bear populations. Slater's full-page b&w illustrations amplify tension by visualizing majestic or dramatic scenes, often featuring April and Bear. While Gold's conservationist message is occasionally heavy-handed, fans of Pax will appreciate this endearing story of interspecies friendship, which will inspire young eco-activists. Ages 8--12. (Feb.)

Horn Book Review

April's widowed father is a scientist who has taken a temporary job at Bear Island's weather station, above the Arctic Circle. Her initial hope that moving to a remote location would lead her dad to pay more attention to her quickly disappears when she realizes that, just as at home, he will be working all the time. April wants to meet a polar bear on the island, although she knows it's unlikely, since melting sea ice has kept bears away from the island for some time. Nevertheless, she spends weeks on the lookout for bears -- and she does find one, trapped and injured by garbage from the ocean. She feels an immediate connection to the creature, eventually getting close enough to cut off the debris and treat its wound. As her relationship with her father becomes more strained, she grows closer to the bear. After she figures out how it became trapped on the island (the bear doesn't speak, but April is able to understand it on an emotional level), she decides to take it home to Svalbard, more than two hundred miles of open ocean away. Gold has an ear for descriptive language ("April could feel the power of it, the way sound travels invisibly through the air and shifts the membrane of the universe somehow"), and the close narration of April's story keeps readers intimately engaged. The book's environmental message is clear without being overpowering, and the combination of internal and external conflicts allows the story to be quiet and dramatic at the same time. Sarah Rettger May/June 2021 p.134(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

A girl and a polar bear forge a unique, loving friendship. April Wood and her widowed scientist father travel to uninhabited Bear Island in the Arctic, where April's dad has been commissioned to spend six months studying the effects of global warming on the area. Lonely April hopes to get closer to her distracted father, who still grieves his wife's loss. Instead, incredibly--as dad had said there were none left--she bonds strongly with the island's lone, injured polar bear, whom she dubs Bear. How April and Bear become best friends, how she cares for him, learns his ways, and masterminds a harrowing rescue effort to save Bear and deliver him home to Svalbard comprises the bulk of this unusual, amiably written tale. The novel incorporates facts, capably raises awareness about the perils of global warming, and makes a strong case for humans' negative impact on the Arctic. April is an intelligent, independent, resourceful animal lover who staunchly advocates for the environment. Like-minded readers will relate to her and her desire for positive change in the world--and her yearning for loving relationships. The novel's conclusion is touching and poignant, but some plot elements strain credulity or feel clichéd, and April's dad is not a fully realized character. Sparse, unexciting, black-and-white illustrations fail to capture the setting's grandeur. An author's note includes information and websites. For animal lovers, defenders of the environment, and fans of female-powered stories. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.