The Bear
CBC Books | CBC | Posted: March 8, 2017 3:31 PM | Last Updated: May 25, 2017
Claire Cameron
Two young children — five-year-old Anna and her younger brother Stick — are left to survive on their own after a bear viciously attacks their parents. Told in Anna's captivating voice, Claire Cameron's The Bear vividly realizes a nightmare every camper has had at least once. It's a book that's both technically impressive and page-turning at the same time. So read it — but don't plan on any camping trips afterwards.
From the book
I can hear the air going in and out of my brother's nose. I am awake. He is two years old and almost three and he bugs me lots of times because I am five years old and soon I will be six but it is warm sleeping next to him. I call him Stick. He always falls asleep before me and I listen to the air of his nose. I can hear my parents' voices. They are farther away than I can reach and whispering because they think I can't hear. I let out a squeak to let Momma know I am awake and she says, "we're right here" from too far away. I squeak again and the zipper undoes and I can see the sky in the crack. Her cool hand brushes my hair back and her fingers touch my cheek. "Sssh Anna," she says and the sky zips away again. When I am inside a tent the outside is far away.
From The Bear by Claire Cameron © 2014. Published by Doubleday Canada.