Summary Of Touching Spirit Bear By Ben Mikaelsen

This is a summary of the book “Touching Spirit Bear” By: Ben Mikaelsen. It’s a fictional book that takes place in Minneapolis

He has a bad personality. He's rude to adults and he has a mentality that very one should be scared of him.On page 7 it tells how he beat up a boy named Peter.”After school ,Cole cornered Peter outside in the parking lot.With anger that

In this book Touching Spirit Bear, By Ben Mikaelsen, Cole Matthews was always angry, taking no responsibility for his actions, then Cole got sent to an island, became friends with someone he thought he would never talk to, and had to deal with an abusive father. After beating up a classmate Cole Matthews got sent to an island in Alaska with nothing but himself and the habitat. Relationships the changed Cole the most were Garvey, his father, and Peter.

One of his strengths is that he is strong and he just loves to get in trouble. He hates to be called champ. Cole has a very strong will. He has had some experience with fighting, he fought a lot of kids in school, he recently just beat up a kid named Petter. Cole hates his parents and is afraid of his father. Apparently his father beats him when he does something wrong, or gets in trouble. So far we don't know all Coles weaknesses but he hates being touched, called names, and hates getting told on. On page 15 of Spirit Bear it says why cole doesn't want to be called champ, it says, “”quit calling me champ,” cole mumbled “that's not my

Ghost of Spirit Bear, written by Ben Mikaelsen, is a touching story of overcoming violence and making a change in the world you live in. “‘You have a better idea?’ Cole had to admit that he didn’t,” (Mikaelsen, 40). Every story has a theme, a concept, a point!- and that point is making a change instead of standing by in this story. Peter and Cole come back from the time on the island, calm and collected, but city life hits them like a brick. The only thing they can think of is the island, and how they wish it was more like it. Instead of standing by and evading the mess they came back into, they want to fix it. Just how much of a mess could it possibly be?

Everyone diminishes their anger in different ways. Whether that be punching a pillow, reflecting on your problems, or even sitting in freezing cold water at the crack of dawn. In Touching Spirit Bear by: Ben Mikaelsen, Cole Matthews, a previously troubled boy, is banished to an island off the coast of Alaska for a year, after he beat a boy named Peter to depression, by The Circle Justice, a method of healing used by the Native American Tlingit tribe. Edwin, a Tlingit Indian, and Garvey, Cole’s parole officer, introduced him to many ways to relieve his own anger on the island. Whether that be treating every meal as a feast, soaking in a frigid pond until numb, or creating dances for every animal seen. These practices effectively changed the

Cole Matthews asks readers, “’Do you know what it's like waking up every morning knowing you're not good enough?’” and many young adults do. Young adults will relate to the characters in Touching Spirit Bear. “Touching Spirit Bear” is a young adult novel written by Ben Mikaelsen. It is about a teenager named Cole who, instead of going to prison for beating someone up, does a program called ‘Circle Justice’ where he is sent to a remote Alaskan island to heal. When he gets to the island he tries to escape, and attacks a bear, which almost kills him. After recovering in the hospital, he goes back to the island and tries again, this time with a willingness to change. While he’s there, he learns about himself, nature, and gains a new appreciation for life and for himself. He learns to be a better person, and forgive himself, and he realizes to fully heal he needs to help Peter, the person he beat up, heal too. Peter and Cole heal together, and eventually become friends. Touching Spirit Bear is a compelling piece of young adult fiction that will do well on the shelves, and should be published. It will do well because it is relatable, it is well written, and it fulfils a need in the genre for realistic fiction in young adult literature.

Responsibility is a theme that is carried throughout both books, but used in extremely diverse ways. Touching Spirit Bear is a story about forgiveness and healing, and Cole has to take responsibility for his past actions, and on improving himself emotionally. He has to forgive his father, the people around him, the Spirit Bear, and most importantly he has to forgive himself. Cole also takes responsibility for helping Peter heal from Cole’s beating, emotionally, because Peter is suicidal. Cole tells Peter, “’My dad has beaten me my whole life,’ he explained. ‘But I know now he never meant to hurt me. He was beaten by his father, and that’s all he knew.’ Cole swallowed a big lump that had formed in his throat. ‘I learned to forgive,’ he said. ‘Not just others, but also myself.’” (Mikaelsen, 214). The Last Dog on Earth, in comparison, is a coming of age story, where Logan must learn responsibility through order. His step-father Robert, through getting him a

I read the book Ghost Of Spirit Bear, which is the sequel to Touching Spirit Bear. I decided I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed Touching Spirit Bear. There are amazing conflicts and themes in this series, it truly inspires me.

In Ben Mikaelsen's novel, Touching Spirit Bear, the protagonist, Cole Matthews, is a troubled 15-year old teen, who has received the title as a juvenile delinquent. His traumatizing past has turned him into an angry, stubborn and rude figure. Due to an unacceptable action, Cole is then shipped to a remote island, in Southeast Alaska, to embark in an experience that can possibly give him the chance to "change". At first, Cole struggles to change from a juvenile delinquent, but as the novel progresses, Cole slowly becomes someone he never knew he could become. He encounters a variety of challenges and obstacles that teach him many life lessons.

The hero's journey structure is present in literature. The hero's journey includes twelve different parts, three of them being the ordinary world, the call to adventure, and a mentor or helper. The novel “Touching Spirit Bear” features the hero's journey as a boy named Cole struggles to stay out of trouble and doesn’t know the purpose of his life. All he knows is how to be in control of others, he likes to have the power and has lots of anger inside of him. Throughout Cole's journey, he learns how to get rid of his anger and that blaming others isn't the solution to his problems.

Throughout human existence, mankind has had to overcome difficult obstacles in order to prosper. In Diane Glancy’s “Pushing the Bear”, the reader discovers how the Cherokee Indians overcome their hardships and flourish into a new, thriving community. In this novel, the audience observe how these Cherokee Indians outlast the harsh environment during the Indian Removal Act. Additionally, Glancy creates a human experience during the Trail of Tears; giving a different perspective of various characters. Through the eyes of characters such as Maritole and Knobowtee, the reader is able to sense the desperation that the Cherokee endured. The upheaval of being forcefully removed from the land stripped the Cherokee of their identity. This disruption left the Cherokee confused, causing frustration to arise because they were unable to live their familiar roles. Men were no longer able to farm. Women had a loss of property and wealth. The bear symbolizes these struggles throughout this novel. Maritole explains, “The bear had once been a person. But he was not conscious of the consciousness he was given. His darkness was greed and self-centeredness. It was part of myself, too. It was part of the human being” (183). In other words, the “bear” is the personal dilemma each character is put up against during this removal. Furthermore, each character has their own personal struggles to overcome; whether that be Knobowtee’s loss of masculinity or Maritole’s loss of family. These struggles,

I’ve never committed a crime, but author Ben Mikaelsen made me feel as if I was right there in the library waiting for my final judgement for beating a poor little kid. The book “Touching Spirit Bear” and its sequel “The Ghost of Spirit Bear” are both books written by novelist Ben Mikaelsen about two boys and their intertwined life. The first book takes place when teen delinquent Cole Matthews beats up a boy at school named Peter for telling on him. Peter’s injury leads to a permanent speech impediment and because of this Cole goes to jail. When Cole’s probation officer, Garvey, tells about a tribal version of punishment called Circle Justice, which is where the two people involved in the crime must heal together, and move forward from their quarrel, Cole jumps at the idea to get out of jail. When this doesn’t work they decide to send Cole to an Alaskan island, which Peter is eventually condemned to. Eventually they become friends and they get past their problems. It is the next book where they face challenges of going back to school and fitting in.

Cole doesn't understand why he feels trust. Cole tried to kill the bear, but yet the bear has trust toward Cole. Also Cole had, “...hated it with every fiber of his existence.” Even after he touched the bear Cole had a sensation. Cole realized that the world was beautiful.

I had the same feelings when I read the back of the book. I truly enjoyed the novel. The description and detail of the bear mauling was intense. This story shows that children are a product of their environment. Cole's parents were alcoholics and his mother wouldn't / couldn't defend him against the constant beatings from his father. I felt so sorry for Cole but at the same time got so angry with his behavior. I believe everyone can change regardless of what environment they were brought up in and Cole proved that in the story. It is weird how the circle of