The Bear by Claire Cameron

Synopsis:

A powerfully suspenseful story narrated by a young girl who must fend for herself and her little brother after a brutal bear attack. While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, 300 pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite, pouncing on her parents as prey.At her dying mother's faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe dumps the two children on the edge of the woods, and the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a dangerous wilderness, we see Anna's heartbreaking love for her family--and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore.Told in the honest, raw voice of five-year-old Anna, this is a riveting story of love, courage, and survival.

Rating: ★★½

Review:

I had higher expectations for this book because the synopsis sounded like it was going to take me on an emotional field trip. The beginning started off on a strong note but once the bear attack was over that's when things started going down hill.

Anna is a very frustrating character to follow. I understand she's only 6 but I don't understand how a 6 year old can not know the difference between a dog and a bear, even tho she brings up multiple past conversations discussing bears, but coincidentally knows what a beaver is. Her mind is portrayed as more of a 4 year old than a 6 year old and to come to think about it her 4 year old brother, Stick's, personality and actions doesn't match his age either.

Also, most of Anna's flash backs have nothing to do with the main event at hand and it truly hurts the plot. It makes the story feel longer than needed and that mixed with the frustrating personalities of the main characters makes me loose interest and ultimately makes me want to bail on the whole book but I stuck it through till the end. After the kids were rescued I wish the author would have elaborated more on their therapy and how they came to term with everything they had just experienced but I did like the epilogue more than any other part in the book, besides the beginning. 


I don't know what possessed me to pick up a book where the POV (point of view) character is 6 but most likely it'll never happen again.