A review by marthaos
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold

emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was this year’s choice for One Book, an initiative run by city libraries involving a few schools and libraries in Cork City. We read it with our 4th class and I think it was positively received by everyone. I loved it.

When April’s scientist father announces that he accepted a job in Bear Island, an Arctic post, he and April pack up their life to undertake this new adventure. April, who was used to spending time alone, would now know an aloneness that was almost boundless. With an increasingly distant father as the only companion for April on the Island, she begins to feel lonely. When she encounters a bear, on an island with supposedly no more bears, she is drawn to him. Little by little she builds his trust and soon they have a friendship that is life-giving for both April and Bear. 

This was a gorgeous read. At its heart is a simple story of friendship between a girl and a bear, but it is so much more than that. Dealing with loneliness, growing up without a parent, following one’s path in life, climate change, sustainability and the need for relationship, this book is beautifully ambitious in its breadth and full of heart. As well as immersing the reader in April’s story, Hannah Gold gives lots of detail about Bear Island and the Arctic, and we learn, through journeying with April, the very real effects of  global warming. April doesn’t shy away from what she feels she is called to, and is really inspiring for young readers who often feel helpless about what difference one person can make for our planet.

A gorgeous book, unanimously enjoyed. A strong recommend.