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Comments (21)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 21 of 21 items
Feb 22, 2024duckybear rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Any five year old would have known what a bear was so the "black dog" reminded me of how out of touch this author was every time I heard it.
Nov 16, 2021RaneeMacIntosh rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This book was incredibly frustrating to read, in both a good way and a bad way. The author captures the 5-year-old narrative voice perfectly. Too perfectly. If you've ever asked a primary to explain to you what they did over the weekend,…
Nov 15, 2018SurreyLibraries_Reads rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book is a suspenseful fast read and I really enjoyed it. Canadian author. It’s about two very young children surviving in the wilderness after a bear attack on the family’s campsite. (submitted by MB)
Sep 29, 2016Kmum1 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Although loosely based on a true story, as a reader it would be difficult to ascertain where fact meets fiction. Of course the children in the story were added and even though other reviews stated readers found Anna's storytelling too old…
Aug 17, 2015leiafirefly rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I felt sometimes it was frustrating to follow, as the whole story is through a 5 year old mind. Her mind does a lot of comparison to things that has happened to her to the current situation. I found it frustrating getting pulled from the…
Jun 08, 2015Suesanista rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A very compelling story but I agree with other readers, the narration by a five year old child poses a bit of a barrier to its telling. I found myself skimming over a lot of the narration to get on with the plot. The beginning and…
Feb 23, 2015gymgurl rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This was pretty good. I liked the story but sometimes it is irritating to read a child narrator. I thought the same when I read Room by Emma Donoghue. If that doesn't bother you than you should enjoy the story.
Sep 04, 2014stephaniedchase rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
It's always difficult to pull off a child narrator, and THE BEAR is far less successful than the novel many readers will compare it to, ROOM. For me, too much of this novel was implausible: that there is a cooler big enough to fit a…
Aug 28, 2014DanglingConversations rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I agree with Merryman5 comment below. The voice of a 5 year old is not sustainable for a whole book, Having a lot of experience with children myself, I felt the mind of the 5 year old was now always accurately portrayed, more professional…
Aug 06, 2014natalieruhl rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
As someone who frequently went back country hiking before I had children I thought I would like this book. Instead I found the story heart breaking. As I am a mother of two young children there were tears streaming down my cheeks as the…
Jul 27, 2014maryp61 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Powerful story of 2 young children whose parents were killed by a bear. They are told to stay inside a cooler by their dying mother. At that point, the 5 year old girl begins to relate what she hears, sees and does. Her voice is very…
Jul 27, 2014lizhelboe rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The Bear is the story of two children who are left behind when their parents are killed in a random bear attack on a camping / canoe trip. The story is narrated by the older child - a five year old girl - and is told from her point of…
May 14, 2014SaraEOPL rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Not my favorite book. The child's voice, while an interesting perspective on the story got old after awhile. There was repetition and because of the way the child's thoughts were portrayed it was sometimes hard to understand what she was…
Cdnbookworm
May 12, 2014Cdnbookworm rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This novel was inspired by a real incident that took place in Algonquin Park in 1991. A couple who were camping were attacked and killed by a bear, and analysis of the incident failed to uncover any obvious reason for the attack. Cameron…
dairyqueen
May 09, 2014dairyqueen rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Thrilling read. Read it in 3 sessions. Could not put it down.
Apr 17, 2014
could not get past the story being told in the third person by a five year old. Really wanted to like this book, but could not get past 20 pages..gave up
Apr 15, 2014dontbugmeimreading rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
written in the voice of the 5 year old girl. Couldn't get past the beginning. Was describing their home life and dirty diapers and snuggling with Daddy - just get to the story already!
Apr 02, 2014
Interestingly different book, suspenseful written from point of view of a young child. Unusual point of view and quick, interesting read. Will definitely look for more works from this author.
Mar 20, 2014
Imagine an idyllic summer vacation in Algonquin Park; imagine an outdoorsy family on a canoe trip, two active parents with their two very young children. Now imagine that the worst happens: while the children sleep, their parents are…
Mar 16, 2014
"After a black bear attacks their campsite, killing their parents, five-year-old Anna must lead her toddler brother, Stick, to safety and civilisation. Anna doesn't really understand that her parents are dead, but she knows that she must…
ksoles
Mar 02, 2014ksoles rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
In Claire Cameron's second novel, she mines the tradition of stream-of-consciousness by telling her story from the viewpoint of Anna, a five-year-old who witnesses her parents' deaths at the hands (paws?) of a black bear. Her toddler…