Book Review : Ghost of Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

As a reviewer of Harper Collins First Look Books I received an advance copy of "'Ghost of Spirit Bear' by Ben Mikaelsen

This book will be released on June 17, 2008.

The author has had the unique experience of raising a six-hundred-pound black bear named Buffy at his home in the mountains of Bozeman, Montana.  Ben Mikaelsen was born in La Paz, Bolivia, a South American country in 1952.  He had strange pets and learned a lot about the Bolivian culture in his time there.  He began writing when he was 10 years old.  He has been professionally writing for the past sixteen years.  Writing is his only profession.  Mikaelsen writes articles as well as books.  He has been featured nationally on Jack Hannah's Animal Adventures as well as on German national television.

There are times when I am really excited about getting to read the sequel to a great book, and this is certainly one of them.  Mikaelsen has a bright, lucid storytelling style.  His book is incredibly fresh and unigue. 'Ghost of Spirit Bear' is a perfect page turning book for a 5th grader, since Spirit bears, have long been the subject of myth, curiosity, and fascination to them; and to read a story that talks about their presence is wonderful. This story of teenager Cole Matthews learning and understanding the Native American system of Circle Justice, and being banished to a remote Alaskan island for a year after viciously and cruelly assaulting a schoolmate  - Peter Driscal, causing his victim to suffer brain damage, will wow the  adolescent reader.

This is truly a wonderful tale of endurance and awareness. The story line has a unity of purpose and strength of spirit that is hard to match.

"'Ghost of Spirit Bear' by Ben Mikaelsen

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (June 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060090073
• ISBN-13: 978-0060090074
• List Price: $16.99