Touching Spirit Bear

Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: In this book there is a boy named Cole Matthews. He is really mean to other people exspecialy Peter who he beat up, and now he has slurred speach and sometimes has hard time walking. After this last incident Cole going to sentenced to jail, but a man came to talk to him, his name was Garvey. Cole was sent to an remote island off the coast of Alaska. His punishment was that he would have to stay on this island for a year. So Cole stayed and was mauled by an all white bear and nearly killed him. From then on Cole had changed his ways.

Rating:
Summary: Changes
Review: Cole Matthews is a 15 year old juvenile delinquent in the book "Touching Spirit Bear". Ben Mikaelson explains that this is because he comes from a very rough background. His father abuses him, and hs mother is a very heavy drinker. Cole is extremely mad about his parents and takes his anger out on other people in physical ways. Cole's recent fight was very serious. Cole beat up a boy and caused hin bad head injuries. Cole was put in a Circle of Justice program. His attitude didn't keep him in the program long. Cole's parents agreed to send him away on a deserted Alaskan island for one full year. Cole met a white bear on the island. Cole thretened the bear. He told him that he would hurt him. Cole was then injured serverly and killed by the bear. Cole realized that he needed to change his attitude and how he reacted about other things. Well, you need to read the book to find out the rest.

My opinion of this book is good. I enjoyed how Cole finally decided to change. If you like happy endings you would like this book. If i could rate this book on a scale from 1-10 I would give it an 8.

Rating:
Summary: **FANTASTIC!**
Review: This book is GREAT! I'm 14 and enjoyed reading it. My friends are going to read it as soon as I turn it back in... Every time you finish a chapter, you'll want to read another one! Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Touching Spirit Bear
Review: The cover of Touching Spirit Bear does not look all that interesting. But you have to look beyond the cover. Touching Spirit Bear is an excellent thriller with a twisted edge.
Touching Spirit Bear will leave you wanting more. Cole Mathews often gets beaten by his drunken father. And often Cole takes it out on other kids, like Peter Driscal. His parole officer Garvey still thinks there is hope for him. Not many others agree.
Cole Mathews can't stand still. He is always fighting and loves to punch things. He can't stand his parents because his dad is always drunk and he controls his mom who is an artificial puppet who always looks and is a neat freak.
When the local hardware store has been robbed, Peter Driscal overhears Cole bragging to his buds that it was him. Peter tells and gets the beating of his life. After getting his head beat into the ground, and suffering speech and coordination problems, Peter and Cole join a group called circle justice.
Cole often goes to these pointless circle justice meetings. He pretends that he wants to change, but really he wants a substitute for jail. He gets everyone fooled except for Peter's mom, who will never forgive him, and his lawyer.
Circle justice is a Native American discipline group. They want to send Cole to an island off the coast of Alaska. There he is supposed to get in touch with his inner self and see what is troubling him in his life. He makes many encounters with the spirit bear and one encounter that almost kill him.
Finally Cole gets in touch with his inner self, but it takes more than some time in the wilderness for him to get to his senses.
Take a trip with Cole Mathews on a journey through life. Maybe you to will get something out of this storey.

James

Rating:
Summary: Life Changing Potential
Review: As a person who works in a juvenile detention facility, I find this to be one of the most useful books I have encountered and have added it to my detention classroom library.

My students find this book remarkable in it's capacity to relate how a truly angry, defiant teen feels and thinks. The parole officer has some really unique techniques in working with the main character, Cole. This book is spell-binding to delinquent teens and creates a wonderful platform for further exploration of how change occurs in one's life.

A truly masterful look at oppositional youth.

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Summary: THIS BOOK IS GREAT!!!
Review: Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen is an excellent book. It is about a boy named Cole Mathews that has brutally beaten up his classmate. He gets an unusual offer to repay his debt in a program called "The Circle of Justice". He is sent to a remote island in Alaska and burns his first cabin down. He returns to the island after being mauled by the legendary Spirit Bear. He has to make his own cabin this time. Join Cole as he learns to respect others, and himself.

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Summary: So much anger
Review: I can really relate to this novel, not because I'm an angry adolescent boy, but because, as a middle school teacher, I have seen many angry kids who have it out for the world. Cole is so filled with anger and thinks that everything in the world, even nature, is against him. He is one of those people who confuses fear with respect and after a youth spent getting in trouble with the law he finally goes too far. He beats a fellow classmate so badly that the boy has brain damage. This is something that he can't blow off. He has to pay this time. The choices are either jail, or an indian tradition called "circle justice".
To avoid jail, Cole chooses circle justice, a philosophy that is about healing rather than punishing. The circle seeks to make Cole aware of the effect he has and to make him realize the consequences of his actions. No longer can he blame others for his wrongdoings.
Cole is banished to an island in and sentenced to live there for a year. Cole does some soul searching and battles with bears, both literal and figurative.
What I liked best about this book is that Cole realizes what he has done and how terrible all his anger is, but is not able to completely get rid of it. Instead, he learns to manage it, which is a realistic message. He becomes the master of his emotions, rather than the other way around.

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Summary: The best book i have ever read
Review: Touching spirit bear has been the best book I have ever read. All week I have wanted to hear more of the book and more. This book has tought me important values one could have and how to use tham. If you havent read this book I earge you to.

Rating:
Summary: How far would you go for a triumph over anger?
Review: Cole Matthews is a boy filles with anger. He has robbed stores, beaten up kids, he was a rebel, but this one he couldn't erase. Peter a fellow 9th grader squeals on him for robbing a hardware store and Cole beats him up. Peter gets severe injuries resulting in lack of courdanation and slurred speach. Will Col got to jail? Or will a new program called Circle Justice help him? Will Cole's anger go away?

Find out in Touching Spirit Bear

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Summary: Touching Spirit Bear, its a fantastic book
Review: I recommend this book because it tells you pleanty of details, so that you can imagine it like you were actually in the book and keeps you in suspence like a cliffhanger book. Cole is one angery, definant, smug--in short, and a bully. One day he pushed his limits by smashing one of his calssmate Peter Driscal to the point of brain damage. He rather take any alternative than go to jail for a long period of time. Garvey suggested that cole got to the Circle of Justice if he really wants to change so he takes this oppertunity, but takes advantage of it. When he was stranded on the Alaskian island, feeling lonely like he was back home. Later he saw the spirit bear and tried to kill it later but did not succeed. Instead he got mauled and awaits his fate and begains the transition from anger to humlitity. Read this book to find how the outcome ends. Does Coles really changed or did he stay the same. Its up to you to decide.