Pocket Bear

G. 4-6–Readers will fall in love with their childhood teddy bear all over again in Applegate’s new heartwarming novel. Feline Zephyrina (also known as Corporal Z) is a kleptocat; sole supplier for the Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured. In this home for forgotten stuffed animals, there is one leader—a handmade miniature soldier bear named Pocket. Pocket is a devoted sergeant who spent time in WWI; he is always caring for the toys in his charge and his beloved human family Dasha and Elizaveta, refugees from Ukraine. When Corporal Z finds an old stuffed bear in the trash behind an Italian restaurant, she knows exactly where to take him for his second chance. As Pocket and his family care for their new recruit, a wartime secret begs to burst to the surface. Who is this bear? And can he help the family of Second Chances just as much as they’ve helped him? Applegate’s latest strikes at the heart, addressing the vitality of empathy, the long-lasting effects of war, and the power of found family. Readers follow the plot through Zephyrina’s perspective and journey from a tough street cat to a loving pet. One can either let their past harden them or let it soften them to the world around them, and the characters of Applegate’s book strive for empathy and softness.