Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A couple of chapters in I added the rest of the authors works onto my tbr. I loved how magical the adventures with Bear felt and I thought the writing was beautiful, unfortunately for me I found the ending fell a little flat and ruined my overall rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail
As an adult reader there is the feeling of child endangerment/neglectful parenting. The child mc does dangerously enter water towards the end of the book but everyone is safe in the end. You do also see an animal suffering from hunger/injury
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Last Bear is a book full of a strong little girl's adventures, her love for the outdoors and most importantly her love for animals. Environmentalism is wrapped up into the story, showing us that we need to be better stewards to the planet and that our actions affect each generation.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I shed a tear, I love Nordic countries, and polar bears are my mom's favourite animals. Such a great middle grade story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying, Gun violence
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Last Bear is an informative, inspiring and reflective book which relies the messages to do something to save environment starting from the smallest thing no matter how young you are. I love the characters in this book especially April, Bear and her dad, the writing style is easy to follow especially with shorter pages for each chapter. The story started by interesting introduction of April and her dad, and what they're doing and are going to do next. Some facts about bears, climate change, and Bear Island were poured in between the story so it's not an info dumping. Even though the relationship of a human girl with a wild polar bear seemed more impossible (as the author stated in her Author's Note), I found this part is a hopeful one, since nobody knows what will happen next and how everything evolves including the human-animal relationships. I love the ending, it made me cry of course, and I love how hopeful the last paragraph of this book is. Definitely a lovely read to start your reading year!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
I cannot bring myself to finish this thing. The "I'm-not-like-other-girls" protagonist and domesticated-acting polar bear are bad enough, but the absent father just infuriates me in a way that seems bad for my general well-being.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i loved the connection between bear and april, but some of the conversations were honestly poorly written.
although april is a sweet girl, the "not like other girls" mentality is definitely shining through a few times.
nevertheless, i really enjoyed the setting and the story, and it was very easy to read.
the author very obviously wants to inspire the readers to do their own part to help fight against climate change. the way this is executed does leave a lot to be desired when it comes to the conversation about the climate crisis, but it's definitely suitable for children, and it is a children's book after all, so i won't judge it too harshly on that.
although april is a sweet girl, the "not like other girls" mentality is definitely shining through a few times.
nevertheless, i really enjoyed the setting and the story, and it was very easy to read.
the author very obviously wants to inspire the readers to do their own part to help fight against climate change. the way this is executed does leave a lot to be desired when it comes to the conversation about the climate crisis, but it's definitely suitable for children, and it is a children's book after all, so i won't judge it too harshly on that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Alcohol