Title: Finding Bear
Author: Hannah Gold
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Published: 31st January 2024
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Price: $19.99
Synopsis: The unmissable follow-up to the phenomenal bestselling and award-winning The Last Bear. Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold and perfect for readers 8+A TOP 5 BESTSELLER IN CHILDREN’S HARDBACK FICTIONApril Wood has returned home from her adventure on Bear Island. But, over a year later, she can’t stop thinking about Bear.When April hears that a polar bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard, she’s convinced it’s her friend and persuades her dad to travel with her to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic. So begins an unforgettable journey across frozen tundra and icy glaciers.But along the way, she discovers much more than she bargained for – a tiny polar bear cub, desperately in need of her help. In freezing temperatures, April must navigate the dangerous Arctic terrain and face her deepest fears if she’s to save him.Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold, Finding Bear is a stunning story of survival and a heartwarming tale of love that shows us how hope is born from the smallest of beginnings.
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Seventeen months ago, April Wood met Bear in the Arctic and saved him during an adventure on Bear Island. She hasn’t stopped thinking about him since she returned home with Dad, now with Maria, and wishes she could go back. She’s also determined to get people to listen to her about climate change and the crisis impacting the environment and wild animals like Bear, yet she’s having a hard time getting through to people.
One day, April hears that a bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard – and this kicks off the new adventure. April and her father travel to Svalbard, where they meet Hedda and reunite with Tör to find Bear, and make sure he is okay. Yet, in this story, it will be the baby polar bear who needs her help and a need to navigate the freezing Arctic to get Peanut and Bear help.
As I hadn’t read The Last Bear, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to pick up the thread of this one, however, whilst they are connected, I did feel like I could come into this one easily, as the relevant information the reader needs to know is reiterated during April’s adventure. The Arctic is shown as a magical and dangerous place – a place where unique friendships are made, but also where the harsh reality of climate change is appearing in so many ways. And yet, there is a sense of optimism in this book – that everyone can make a difference in in their own way, even in small ways. April is determined to have her voice heard as well – in a world where it seems she is always being silenced, or at least, not listened to. She feels that people don’t understand her, and this also forms an important part of the novel – how April comes to understand what she can do, and how people like Hedda come to understand her, her passion and drive, and what she is truly capable of. Luckily, April does have allies in Tör and Lisé throughout the novel, and I felt that this balanced the cynicism or uncertainty of some of the other characters well.
It highlights the anxieties that young people have about what is going on in the world in an accessible way, that allows younger readers to read about and process what they are feeling in a safe way – with a touch of action to keep the book interesting as well as a sense of a dream or fantasy about being able to communicate and connect with a wild animal like Bear – the reality is that this would never happen, but it is nice to imagine that somewhere it might – even if in fiction, which also acknowledges the harsh realities about living or spending time in the Arctic. I felt that this book showed the impacts of climate change in a way we have heard about, but that maybe people have not seen. In doing so, Hannah’s book brings the impacts of climate change in the Arctic and Svalbard to life for readers so they can understand the impacts. So I see it as an important book to highlight what is going and give us hope for a better world.
What I liked about Finding Bear was that it sensitively and optimistically addresses climate change, endangered species and wildlife giving tween and teen readers an empowering story to give them the confidence to speak up for what they are passionate about, and to never lose that passion. It has elements of magic of some sort, through April and Bear’s connection – which I think is very effective to show kids that belief is powerful, but also, the reality of dealing with wildlife is addressed throughout to reassure readers and remind them that they shouldn’t go out and pick up wild animals. I think though, April’s journey and story will resonate with younger readers who want to make a difference, and get to see someone their age doing so. This book is filled with hope, the kind of hope that things can change, and that people will do what they can to make a difference.
The Book Muse 