At first, peter driscal doesnt appear as a fullyformed character. Its a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the. But it is the attack of the spirit bear that may save his soul. The plot was amazing and the events were very interesting. The boy is mauled and then healed by the touch of the spirit bear who is perhaps a reflection of the world spirit or god. His novels have been carried by scholastic and troll book fairs, and are recorded on unabridged audio tape with recorded books. A bear within all of us, we all get angry sometimes, the bear comes out. His mother witnesses the abuse but generally does nothing to stop it, leading cole to believe that no one cares for him. People feel trust when they touch the bears head, but so far only cole get to. Touching spirit bear by thebookumbrella teachers pay. While waiting for the courts decision cole, the boy, was kept in a detention center. Cole matthews is the main character of the novel touching spirit bear. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life after severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is.
Touching spirit bear story setting authorbenmikaelsen. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Check out ben mikaelsens website for lots of facts about his books and his. The boy is mauled and then healed by the touch of the spirit bear who is perhaps a reflection of the worldspirit or god. This manipulative and violent young offender is given one more chance. The question and answer section for touching spirit bear is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. However, he is plagued by the fact that he has not yet seen the spirit bear again. Touching spirit bear 2001 red midnight 2002 tree girl 2004 ghost of spirit bear 2008 jungle of bones 2014 awards and honors. Troubled teen meets totemic catalyst in mikaelsens petey, 1998, etc. After repeated skirmishes with the law, he finally faces jail time when he viciously beats a classmate. Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself. In this lesson, well explore how cole changes throughout the novel. The kermode bear is brought to life in the popular novel touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen.
Spirit bears are easily recognized by their white fur, but, contrary to common belief, theyre not albinostheyre actually a rare subspecies of the black bear, born with a genetic mutation that gives them white coats. Because were in coles head throughout the book, we see peter through coles eyesas an unimportant person who happens to be the victim of coles latest crime. Soon cole finds himself on a remote alaskan island in tlingit territory, banished for a year, overseen by. You walk into the bookstore looking for the novel touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen, and you see a myriad of signs at the end of each aisle. When i received my package in the mail i was exited to start reading. These novels include rescue josh mcguire, sparrow hawk red, stranded, countdown, petey, touching spirit bear, red midnight and tree girl.
Touching spirit bear this is a novel study for touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. What is the book touching spirit bear all about answers. Golden spur, juvenile fiction, rescue josh mcguire. Touching spirit bear study guide contains a biography of ben mikaelsen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The rare spirit bear is known locally by several names. This is a long way of explaining that touching spirit bear is the book i wished i. He taught me to be gentle and that i, too, am part of the circle. Its the same genetic mutation that gives humans red hair. He was the owner of a 750pound black bear named buffy.
This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in. His novels have been carried by scholastic and troll book fairs, and are recorded on. In touching spirit bear, cole matthews is an angry, outofcontrol minneapolis teen, the son of wealthy, abusive alcoholic parents, convicted of viciously beating a classmate. He began his writing career in the mid1980s and won such literary honors as the international reading association award and the western writers golden spur award.
Ben mikaelsen books, author biography, and reading level. Ben moved to the united states of america in when he was in seventh grade. Bens articles and photos have appeared in numerous magazines around the world. Spirit bear is a more recent name for the white bear. Touching spirit bear is the title and it is by ben mikaelsen this is not a copy of the book it is a poem off the title for the contest. In the last few chapters of the book, they take on a bigger role and are portrayed as truly desperate in their search to find healing for their son peter. This novel study divides touching spirit bear into seven sections for study. Create a list of 10 key facts that you learned about the tlingit culture that you believe are important to know or may allow you to make connections to the story. Now, peter may have permanent brain damage and cole is in the biggest trouble of his life. What follows is a tale of justice and redemption in the wilderness of an island. Fact in opinion in the book touching spirit bear answers. He is routinely abused by his father and the abuse leads to a deep, constant anger that cole cant control.
Feb 28, 2001 troubled teen meets totemic catalyst in mikaelsens petey, 1998, etc. He receives a oneyear banishment to a remote alaskan island. Theres a book in with the supplies to study if you want to learn what is safe to. Instead of respecting spirit bear, though, cole tries to kill himwhich leads to the bear mauling. The book explores the folklore and beliefs of native american people. A troubled youth comes to terms with himself after encountering a spirit bear in an island forest. A book about mistakes, and anger, healing and forgiveness. Sep 19, 2015 chapter 25 of touching spirit bear read by kim giannasi duration. The spirit bear approached cole with a slow lazy stride. His mother witnesses the abuse but generally does nothing to stop it, leading cole to.
Author, ben mikaelsen, is winner of the international reading association award and the western writers golden spur award. White bear or ghost bear is often used by local folks. Mikaelsons work has won many state youth literature awards, including the california young reader medal and wyomings indian paintbrush book award. In fact, cole is convinced theyd be happier if he was dead. It is believed that it is a ghost bear or a god like bear, hence the name, because this bear is spiritual. After severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble. Ben mikaelsons book touching spirit bear was truly magnificent. The genre of a novel can help a reader choose a book and even understand it better. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life. Chapter 25 of touching spirit bear read by kim giannasi duration. Fifteenyearold cole is cocky, embittered, and eaten up by anger at his abusive parents.
B reads chapter 5 of touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. It is hard to meet and it doesnt try to hurt human unless human attack first. Touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen booksamillion. Coles parole officer offers him an alternativecircle justice, an. Touching spirit bear, harpercollins books for children, 2001 while fulfilling a oneyear punishment on a remote alaskan island, cole deals with his anger issues and encounters a powerful spirit. In the last few chapters of the book, they take on a bigger role and are portrayed as truly desperate in their.
His novels, rescue josh mcguire, petey and touching spirit bear have also been optioned for screen use. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. During his stay in the detention center he was asked to apply for circle justice. Hetaughtmetobegentleand thati,too,ampartof thecircle. The main guy is a boy who has anger issues and ends up beating a friend severely. Touching spirit bear a poem by punkgirl12893 all poetry. His novels have been nominated to and have won many state readers choice awards. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the. Cole matthews is a teenager with a troubled childhood. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life after severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is in major trouble. In this lesson we explore the unique genre of ben mikaelsens.
All in all, this was an amazing read and i recommend it to all. Dedication this book is dedicated to buffy, a sevenhundredpound black bear who has become my own spirit bear. At fifteen, cole matthews has been fighting and stealing for years. Kermode bear, named after francis kermodei, former director of the royal b. Cole matthews, the main character, goes on a journey of selfdiscovery and ends up creating a totem pole to explain what he has learned about himself. I have read the book, and the spirit bear appears in all different parts of the story, which adding them all up, the spirit bear appears in the book about 47 times total. Sep 06, 2006 in touching spirit bear, cole matthews is an angry, outofcontrol minneapolis teen, the son of wealthy, abusive alcoholic parents, convicted of viciously beating a classmate. Educators need to wake up to the fact that encouragement is a much more. At the beginning of the novel, cole matthews, a fifteenyearold. There, cole is mauled by a mysterious white bear of native american legend. When he writes about spirit bear in touching spirit bear, you get the distinct sense. The spirit bear a mystic bear living on the alaskan island. But instead of jail time, cole is given another option.
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