Want to keep reading?

You've reached the end of your complimentary access. Subscribe for as little as $4/month.

Subscribe
Aready a Subscriber ? Sign In

There Will Be Bears book cover

There Will Be Bears, by Ryan Gebhart;
Candlewick Press: Somerville, Massachusetts,
2014; $16.99

When I first saw the cover of this book, I wasn’t very interested, so I put it away. A few days later, I had nothing else to do, so I started reading. I was hooked. I could not put it down before I was done. Nothing but trouble finds Tyson! His Grandpa Gene, also his best friend, needs to go to a far-off nursing home to manage his kidney disease. Before he leaves, he “bear swears” to take Tyson hunting. At first, Tyson and his family do not think it is a good idea, because they are worried Gene will get sick in the middle of the forest while facing a roaring wild bear. However, Gene says he’ll go see the doctor before the trip. This calms Tyson down, although his parents still oppose the plan.

Reading this makes me think about my own grandpa. My grandpa is my best friend as well. He is a retired engineer, and since he knows I like science, every year on my birthday he always performs many science experiments, which leaves me a lot of good memories. I also love catching fish, so he often brings me fishing, which is always fun. But this year, my parents are against the idea of us going together, since they say I’m too naughty, and my grandpa is aging, so he doesn’t have enough energy to control me. When I look at my grandpa now, he is much older than before. His spine is bent and he walks much slower. I am afraid I am losing my best friend. Now, he also lives in a nursing home, so I have the same feelings as Tyson.

Tyson is very reluctant to give up the trip, since it is his first elk hunt. The next day, the newspaper headline is “Ohio Couple Killed in Grand Tetons.” Tyson gets extremely scared but quickly changes his mind and decides to go anyway, since he is looking forward to their last trip.

So how did Tyson sneak away? He tricks his dad into thinking they’re going camping in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. His plan worked: Tyson shoots a deer and meets a bear!

In this book, you will see the combat between a dying man, his grandson, and an angry bear. This book has overtones of action and adventure. It is very dramatic, creating breathtaking scenes, active scenarios, and much more. It uses strong words instead of short, choppy sentences. It catches you in a trap-like material and doesn’t let you go until the end. I even had to force myself to stop reading and go play. Once you start reading, beware! Control yourself! Even though there are no pictures, it creates a movie screen in your head.

I would recommend this book to brave boys and girls. This story is good for kids who are starting to read advanced books. It has no pictures, but it is shorter than difficult books. Although the title of this story is simple, the book is very interesting. I cannot imagine it being written better. If you want to know more, read the book, There Will be Bears.

There Will Be Bears Jeffrey Huang
Jeffrey Huang, 10
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada