Welcome to the Touching Spirit Bear Book Club. Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen is the genre realistic fiction. Ben Mikaelsen was born in South America. He is a winner of the International Reading Association Award and the Western Writers of America Spur Award. His novels hove been nominated for and won many state Reader’s Choice Awards. These novels include Rescue Josh McGuire, Sparrow Hawk Read, Stranded, Countdown, and Petey.

Tasks:

1. Respond: Now look at the back of the book, titles, and pictures to find as much as possible, to find what the book is about.
2. Read: Pages 1-47

Welcome back –

Now that you have read the first section lets do a summary. Cole Mathews beats up a kid named Peter because he told on him for robbing a store. Cole then meets a guy named Garvey. He tells him about the Circle Justice program (which will send him to Alaska) so he can “heal”. Cole chose’s to go there instead of going to jail. When accepting the Circle Justice program he is sentenced to the island for a year. He goes to the island, finding shelter and supplies already there for him and burns both of them. Cole plans to swim from island to island and get a boat to a nearby town and live there instead of staying on the island for a year. Before swimming out Cole sees a Spirit Bear for a quick second and then disappears. Then he tries to swim away from the island but the ocean current is too strong and he gets pushed back to shore.

Tasks:

1. Respond: 1. what should Cole done instead of beating up Peter? 2. Should Cole have gone to the island or jail? Why?
2. Read: Pages 48- 102

How are you guys doing!? –

Now that you have read the second section lets do a summary. Cole builds a spear to fight the Spirit Bear incase it comes back. When the Spirit Bear comes back Cole attacks it but the Spirit Bear wins and leaves him hurt and broken. A storm comes and a tree above him crashes down beside him, almost killing him. He notices that there was a nest of sparrows in the tree. The nest was now broken and the sparrows are dead. When Cole realizes that nobody would care if he dies, he just lets himself die, until one sudden moment that he wants to live. In a flashback, Cole tells the Circle how his dad beats him and gets furious. In present time, Garvey finds Cole laying there looking dead and brings him to a Tlingit hospital were he is cared.

Tasks:

1. Respond: 1. How is Cole changing as the story moves along? 2. How is Cole tied to the overall theme or message?
2. Read: Pages 103-146

Hello once again! –

Now that you read the third section lets do another summary! After being in the hospital, he gets on a plane to go back to Circle Justice. After more meetings, they decide that he is to be sent back to the island. They let Edwin and Garvey accompany him back for the first few days to help him build the cabin. Since Cole burnt the last cabin, he has to build it all himself even though he has his left arm.  At night, Garvey demonstrates how a hot dog is life by cooking it lke a feast then shows Cole how to express his feelings by dancing. The next day, Edwin takes Cole to a pond early in the morning one day and he demonstrates that you can’t forget anger by using a branch.

Tasks

1. Respond – How does the author use language to help define particular characters?
2. Respond – How does the author use specific vocabulary and terms to help you understand the setting of the story?
3. Read – Pages 146 – 184

Well hello again –

After reading the fourth section lets do a summary! The next day after Edwin shows Cole the pond, he shows him the ancestor rock. He tells him to carry the rock up the hill and roll it back down. On the next day Garvey spots a whale and after their dinner “feast”, dances the whale dance. And one day when Cole finishes his work and goes straight to sleep, Garvey tells him that he is going back to Minneapolis because he hasn’t changed. When Cole gets up, he goes to the pond alone  and carries the ancestor rock up the hill. He sees the Spirit Bear and tells Garvey and Edwin. Then he asks to do the Spirit Bear dance. When Edwin and Garvey leave, Edwin gives Cole a knife as a parting gift.

Tasks:

1. Respond – 1. What is the Complication in Touching Spirit Bear and when did it occur?
2. How would you represent the events in your story in a graphic plot line? Would it be a steep rising line or have a gradual incline?
3. Read – Pages 184 – 240

Welcome Back for the last time-

Now since this is our last section it’s also our last summary. After Edwin leaves from droping off supplies Cole starts building a totem of the animals he made a dance for with Edwin and Garvey. Cole wonders how to be invisible, after he notices taht he hasn’t seen the Spirit Bear since the attack. In the middle of the night, he finds out to be invisible by clearing your mind. Then as he suspects, he sees the Spirit Bear again. That night Cole feels that he is ready to dance the dance of anger. He goes wild and the dance lasts a lot longer than his other dances. The next morning, Peter comes to the island with his mom, dad, and Garvey on Coles request and to experience how to heal. The story ends when Peter and Cole see the Spirit Bear. Then Peter teaches Cole how to draw a circle on his totem as his symbol of friendship with him and Peter.

Tasks 

1. Respond – 1. Do you think Peter should have come to the island? Why?
2. Respond – 2. If you were Peter’s parents, would you let Peter go to the island with Cole? Why?