Reader Review – Moon Bear by Gill Lewis

Moon Bear
Author: Gill Lewis  Publisher: OUP

When twelve-year-old Tam is sent to work at a bear farm in the city, he has never felt so alone. When a sick bear arrives, Tam secretly nurses it and they develop an unbreakable bond.

(Warning – spoiler alert!)

This book is one of a series based around humans and animals forming a bond due to common predicaments. The main characters, usually children, work together or on their own to find a solution. It reveals deep characteristics of both humans and animals, as well as how they work together.

In this particular book, a boy in a poor village, which depends on selling bear meat, is challenged to steal a bear cub. The deed will win him great honour, but he refuses to do it.

He travels to the city to find money for the crumbling system of his village.

There, the only job he can find is at a bear farm. He sees the cub that he once took pity on in a cave, and is determined to help it through the cruel conditions of the farm. Along with the help of a friend, he strives to smuggle food and water to the bears. Meanwhile, he has created a different job for himself, and builds up a shocking amount of money. The boy MUST rescue the bears…

I liked: the strong personalities of characters and the plot

I disliked: nothing

Rating: 5/5

Sophie, aged 10