Touching Spirit Bear

Ben Mikaelsen's Touching Spirit Bear touched my heart.

First of all, everything in Cole Matthews life is a circle. At the age of fifteen he is already a juvenile delinquent. His parents are strong alcoholics and his dad is a child molester. He hurts Cole almost every night. One day, Cole has enough and takes his anger out on poor Peter Driscal. He takes his head and smashes it into the sidewalk.

Next, for his punishment, he goes to an island in Alaska and has to stay for a year. Cole tries to escape several times, but always fails. When he spots the Spirit Bear, he hates it for not being afraid of him.

Fianlly, after getting a second change to stay on the island, Cole must find a way to help Peter. Peter stays on the island with him. He soaks in the river and carrys the ancestor rock up the hill just like Cole does.

In conclusion, a good theme for this book would be hands and words are not for hurting. You should never bully or tease anyone. I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to any high school student.