The Last Bear: Winner of the Blue Peter Award – ‘A dazzling debut’ THE TIMES
£7.35£7.99 (-8%)
Imagine making friends with a polar bear… The Last Bear is perfect for readers of 8+, beautifully illustrated throughout by Levi Pinfold
WINNER OF THE 2022 BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD
WINNER OF THE 2022 WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2022
SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2022
’This is an important first novel, important for us, for polar bears, for the planet. It is deeply moving, beautifully told, quite unforgettable’ Michael Morpurgo
There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to this remote Arctic outpost for six months. But one endless summer night, April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home. Determined to save him, April begins the most important journey of her life . . .
This moving story will win the hearts of children the world over and show them that no one is too young or insignificant to make a difference. The Last Bear is a celebration of the love between a child and an animal, a battle cry for our world and an irresistible adventure with a heart as big as a bear’s.
‘A dazzling debut . . . A magical, confidently told story – with beautiful illustrations by Levi Pinfold’ The Times
Hannah Gold’s book The Last Bear was a No.2 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 18-04-2022.
FINDING BEAR, the irresistible sequel to THE LAST BEAR, is available now
Hannah Gold’s book ‘The Last Bear’ was a No.2 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 18-04-2022.
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Additional information
Publisher | HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks (6 Jan. 2022) |
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Language | English |
Paperback | 320 pages |
ISBN-10 | 000841131X |
ISBN-13 | 978-0008411312 |
Reading age | 8 – 11 years, from customers |
Dimensions | 13 x 2.4 x 18.5 cm |
by Amanda Tunstall
I brought this for my 11 year old daughter for us to read together. It is one of the best children stories we have read.
Beautifully written and we have just ordered the following up ‘Finding Bear’, so can not wait to find out if they get reunited.
Highly recommend.
by John M.
Book arrived very well packaged and I purchased it as part of my granddaughter’s Christmas gift. As I believe books are an import part of our lives.
The last bear by Hannah Gold has won numerous awards: The Blue Peter award and Waterstones children book prize. It has been translated into many different languages.
It’s a Magicial story that uses ones imagination. This book is for animal lovers, but you don’t have to be one to fall in love with this book and it’s beautifully written story, it also has some lovely illustrations included in the book. It’s a joy to read and it’s aimed from age 8-12 years.
by emilian Baciu
The kid like it very much
by Sloan
The protagonist, April, did not feel like an authentic 11-year-old girl. It was the way she referred to herself as a “proud vegan” and all the righteous indignation she expressed at ecological issues. It reads like the author attempting to force-fit her adult self into a child character, and it doesn’t work.
But the worst part of April’s character is the way that she manipulates her father. At a point in the story, she expresses full awareness that her dad is feeling guilty over how he treated her, so she consciously exploits that vulnerability to her advantage, coaxing him into letting her stop school for the summer far earlier than planned. I hate manipulative people. It’s a very adult kind of behaviour and it’s so out of place in a child character. April is a terrible role model for children, and this was the real deal-breaker that made me quit the book at 50%.
Now onto the bear … Originally I thought this was going to be a talking animal book, and I could have accepted the friendship between human and bear if that sort of magic was in the mix. But this is actually a story about a realistic bear – who behaves more like an affectionate dog. April befriends the bear using only a jar of peanut butter. In reality, this starving animal would have guiltlessly devoured the child. Remember, this is not a magical story. And it presents a dangerous message to children about wildlife. If a child’s takeaway from this book is that you can tame a wild bear peanut butter, let’s hope we don’t hear an unfortunate story on the news some evening about a young boy/girl who went camping in the forest. Yeah, you know where I’m going with that.
by Gemma
Kept a 6, 9 and 30ish year old captivated night after night. We laughed together, got angry together and sobbed together. Can’t wait to start the next instalment. And for the emotions to begin again when I share it with my class next term.
by Margaret Wootton
Good but sometimes too descriptive for my taste but overall very good. Would recommend
by Nicola
I have not read a children’s book for years. I read the reviews on April and Bear story and it is truly a great read. I read the The Last Bear in one day as I just could not put it down, I wanted to see what happened and it is happy and sad. The true unconditional love that April and Bear shared. Their love helped each other on a journey that they both needed. To be noticed and loved which they both had at the end of this story. Thank you Hannah Gold.
by Bookworm
Daughter aged ten really enjoyed this book, saying it was a great story and well written. She actually re-read it recently so it must have been good.