Dreaming the Bear

Gr 4–6—Darcy's family recently moved from England to the winter wilds of Yellowstone National Park for her dad's wildlife research. Not only is she away from her friends, Wi-Fi, phone service, and basically all of civilization, she's also recovering from pneumonia, often feeling light-headed and seeing black spots. Despite this, doctor's orders are to go on a brisk outdoor hike each day to "strengthen the lungs." As the book opens, Darcy has pushed herself too hard on one of these hike. In a haze, she wanders into a cave to rest and ends up cuddling up next to an injured, hibernating grizzly bear. Though Darcy knows that any contact with a bear is extremely dangerous (confirmed by a mandatory bear safety course), it's also exhilarating. Her subsequent visits to the bear cave become more complicated and involved: as the bear wakes up in early spring, she starts bringing it food when she realizes it's too hurt to leave its cave area. Before too long, Darcy can keep "her" bear a secret no more. Thebo has written an engaging and succinct tale that is both dreamlike and realistic. Darcy's out-of-body experiences are intriguing and make her situation with the bear seem plausible. At the same time, the descriptions of the natural environment of Yellowstone National Park are excellent, complete with debilitating blizzards, rock climbing, and the realities of humans living among wildlife. Darcy and her family are well-developed characters, with real struggles and stresses in their relationships, but their genuine love for one another is evident.