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328th out of 1,139 books
—
5,731 voters
Touching Spirit Bear (Spirit Bear #1)
Within Cole Matthews lie anger, rage and hate. Cole has been stealing and fighting for years. This time he caught Peter Driscal in the parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Now, Peter may have permanent brain damage and Cole is in the biggest trouble of his life.
Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to p...more
Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to p...more
Paperback, 289 pages
Published
January 4th 2005
by HarperTeen
(first published 2001)
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Apr 11, 2011
karen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
oh-no-biiiiiiirds,
why-yes-i-ya
if we were just judging the first half of this book, the rating would be higher. the second half of this book really just irritated me, and made me wary of reading the sequel, which i have already purchased.
oops.
the first half is about an angry kid, taking out his rage on other people. he reminded me of that kid from that svu episode with luke perry and sara gilbert who was all hyperactive lunatic raaaar-child. but this kid's rage caused him to beat another boy so severely, he has irreparable b...more
oops.
the first half is about an angry kid, taking out his rage on other people. he reminded me of that kid from that svu episode with luke perry and sara gilbert who was all hyperactive lunatic raaaar-child. but this kid's rage caused him to beat another boy so severely, he has irreparable b...more
Cole Matthews is an angry teen who has been caught stealing and fighting for years. One day Cole runs into a fellow classmate, Peter, and fights him. During this fight Cole smashes Peter's head into the sidewalk and causes permanent brain damage. Instead of jail time or being send to a special home, Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender. Cole plays along with the sentence. It is only after he gets m...more
4 likes
·
like
· see review
This book is pretty good so far it is about a boy named cole who is mad at the world and blames everything on everyone else
2 likes
·
like
· see review
Part survival story, part psychological healing journey about Cole who commits a devastating crime(he beats a classmate senseless) and is given "spirit justice" as part of his sentence. He journeys to a remote Alaskan island with two Tlingit elders instead of going to jail. Apparently there is some controversy in the Native American scholarly community about the validity of the Native American/First Peoples information and themes. Nevertheless, Cole's character is realistic and Mikaelsen effecti...more
3 likes
·
like
· see review
Oct 22, 2008
Jess
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
5th grade and up
Shelves:
6th-grade-books
This is a phenomenal book. Through out the year almost all of my kids read it and usually in a day or two. The story tells of a boy, Cole, who has an extremely misguided life due to his family situation. After beating a kid close to death he is sent to live on an island by himself for a year trying to heal his anger. This was his only alternative to going to jail. The book is intense and a bit graphic in Chapter 8 when he encounters a spirit bear. The books sheds great light into the healing pro...more
I love this book! Theres a lot you can learn from it. Although I admit theres a lot of wierd things in it. but it helped me realize it was important to control my temper. This is a book that people with anger problems should read.
Touching Spirit Bear tells the story of Cole, a juvenile delinquent, who has smashed a boy repeatedly into the sidewalk until the boy, Peter, has permanent brain damage. However, rather than going to prison, Cole is taken in by the Circle Justice. Garvey introduces Cole to the Circle, and the Circle decides to let Cole go alone to an island for a year, in order to find true change, rather than a permanent criminal mind in prison. Though Cole betrays their trust many times, his encounter with Spi...more
Touching Spirit Bear Review
Mikaelsen, B. (2001). Touching Spirit Bear. New York: Harper Trophy.
Why the book was chosen
I liked the title, Touching Spirit Bear; it got my attention. On the cover it states, "Can a
mythical bear help a boy beyond human reach?" I am interested in counseling as a profession;
the cover sounded like this session was going to be a challenge. I sure would like to know how a
"spirit bear" helped a boy with his troubles.
Summary/Overview of the book
Cole Matthews was a typical...more
Mikaelsen, B. (2001). Touching Spirit Bear. New York: Harper Trophy.
Why the book was chosen
I liked the title, Touching Spirit Bear; it got my attention. On the cover it states, "Can a
mythical bear help a boy beyond human reach?" I am interested in counseling as a profession;
the cover sounded like this session was going to be a challenge. I sure would like to know how a
"spirit bear" helped a boy with his troubles.
Summary/Overview of the book
Cole Matthews was a typical...more
I read this book called "Touching Spirit Bear", by Ben Mikaelsen. This book was about a teenager who was a trouble maker. The boy's name was Cole Matthews. Cole had done something really bad and he had to go to court for it. Their was only two options for him, he could either go to Prison, or go to a camp called Native American Circle Justice. Between the two he would either have to live behind bars or all by himself for one whole year.
Cole chose the answer which he thought wouldn't be so hard...more
Cole chose the answer which he thought wouldn't be so hard...more
241 pages
This book touching spirit bear is about a boy named Cole. Cole is a kid who goes to a very gueto school and doesn't have the greatest parents. So you can conclude that Cole is a kid who gets into a lot of fights and a lot of trouble. In the begining of the book Cole beats a boy named peter to a bloody pulp. Cole is emmidiately sent to one of those prison like places for kids. Cole spends some time there until the people who run these places decide that Cole is going to have to be sent t...more
This book touching spirit bear is about a boy named Cole. Cole is a kid who goes to a very gueto school and doesn't have the greatest parents. So you can conclude that Cole is a kid who gets into a lot of fights and a lot of trouble. In the begining of the book Cole beats a boy named peter to a bloody pulp. Cole is emmidiately sent to one of those prison like places for kids. Cole spends some time there until the people who run these places decide that Cole is going to have to be sent t...more
Apr 19, 2013
Susan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2013,
change,
character,
community,
journeys,
life-lessons,
nature,
philosophy,
self-discovery,
survival
This book offers powerful life lessons as a troubled teen struggles to learn how to manage his anger, accept responsibility and change the direction of his life. Cole Matthews finds himself banished to an Alaskan island as an alternative to jail time when he is invited to participate in a Native American tradition called Circle Justice. Through multiple encounters with the Spirit Bear, a near death mauling by the Spirit Bear and the support of his sponsors, Cole begins his journey toward healing...more
This is one of those quick read books that you can immerse yourself in for a couple of hours and walk away from with a feeling of positive self reflection. It certainly begs you to question your values and the balance you have in your own life. The main character is searching for a way to understand his own anger and take responsibility for the impulsive actions that have deeply changed his own life and a classmate's. Though Circle Justice is a Native American based justice system, Cole is not N...more
This book offers powerful life lessons as a troubled teen struggles to learn how to manage his anger, accept responsibility and change the direction of his life. Cole Matthews finds himself banished to an Alaskan island as an alternative to jail time when he is invited to participate in a Native American tradition called Circle Justice. Through multiple encounters with the Spirit Bear, a near death mauling by the Spirit Bear and the support of his sponsors, Cole begins his journey toward healing...more
This book offers powerful life lessons as a troubled teen struggles to learn how to manage his anger, accept responsibility and change the direction of his life. Cole Matthews finds himself banished to an Alaskan island as an alternative to jail time when he is invited to participate in a Native American tradition called Circle Justice. Through multiple encounters with the Spirit Bear, a near death mauling by the Spirit Bear, and the support of his sponsors, Cole begins his journey toward healin...more
Cole Mathews is fifteen, and he is a juvenile delinquent. When he smashed someone’s head against the sidewalk, he went too far. He has two options – jail, or the Native American Circle of Justice. If he goes to jail, he will be behind bars. If he goes with the Circle of Justice, he will be isolated on an island for a year. If he is to go to the island, he has to convince the leaders that he wants to change. Really, he just thinks it would be an excellent opportunity to escape. However, life on t...more
Touching Spirit Bear is about Cole, a troubled young adult who is in trouble with the law. He has had many mishaps and made mistakes throughout his youth, but his final actions lead him to a more serious crime. Cole is offered Circle Justice, a Native American council that helps Cole and the group come to a decision what should be done. In Circle Justice, it is decided that Cole should be sent to a desolate island alone for one year. Cole accepts this decision and leaves on his first adventure....more
Cole Matthews is an extremely angry person. He feels like every person in his life has failed him, so he has no responsibility to any other member of society. When Peter Driscal tells on him, Cole has no problem repeatedly smashing Cole's head in the sidewalk. Cole goes to prison and Peter is left with brain damage. The community intervenes and through the process of circle Justice, Cole is given the opportunity to live out his sentence on a remote island in Alaska. Thinking he can beat the syst...more
Cole is a troubled youth that is always angry. He doesn't care about others; only himself. After severely beating Peter over a trivial thing, Cole faces the consequences and faces the chance of being tried as an adult and being sent to prison or participating in the Native American Circle Justice Program. He chooses the latter, thinking anything will be better than prison. After meeting with members of the Circle, he is banished for a year on an Alaskan island to work on his anger. While there,...more
This is a story of healing and forgiveness. It follows a boy named Cole who has grown up in an abusive home. This leads Cole to make a long string of terrible choices that end in him beating Paul nearly to death. As a way to avoid jail time Cole agrees to participate in the Circle Justice which exiles him to an island in Alaska. Once there Cole torches his supplies and attempts to swim to freedom but ends up with nothing and nearly dead from being mauled by a "spirit bear". Cole is rescued but t...more
Cole Mathews is angry. Angry at life, at his father, at his situation, at everything. He has been in trouble all his life and finally he goes too far and beats a kid up almost to the point of death. He is told he will be tried as an adult, but his parole officer suggests Circle Justice, a community program that will decide his fate. Garvey his parole officer convinces the circle that he would benefit by being exiled to and Alaskan island for a year to sort out his problems. Once there he is maul...more
Touching Spirit Bear is about a juvenile delinquent named Cole. In order to shorten his jail sentence, Cole applies for what is called a 'Justice Circle.' The idea is that justice should heal, rather than punish. As a result, Cole gets shipped off to an island where he can be alone, with nobody for him to manipulate, hurt, or blame for his problems. He's left to the elements, who aren't effected in the least by his simmering anger as he blames the world and especially his father, for all of his...more
I read this book and found it very interesting. It was a book about a teenage boy from Minneapolis named Cole. He doesn't have much of his home life because his parents are constantly drinking, and his father is abusive. Cole gets into a fight causing permanent brain damage to another boy. Cole then is forced to face his consequences. His probation officer gives Cole an option to do a program called the Circle of Justice. A program in Alaska based on Native American traditions to heal criminal o...more
Within Cole Matthews lie anger, rage and hate. Cole has been stealing and fighting for years. This time he caught Peter Driscal in the parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Now, Peter may have permanent brain damage and Cole is in the biggest trouble of his life.
Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender, the victim and the, community. With prison as his only alternative, Cole plays alon...more
Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender, the victim and the, community. With prison as his only alternative, Cole plays alon...more
Within Cole Matthews lie anger, rage and hate. Cole has been stealing and fighting for years. This time he caught Peter Driscal in the parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Now, Peter may have permanent brain damage and Cole is in the biggest trouble of his life.
Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender, the victim and the, community. With prison as his only alternative, Cole plays alon...more
Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender, the victim and the, community. With prison as his only alternative, Cole plays alon...more
Jan 23, 2013
Cflower
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like books with a deeper meaning
Shelves:
2nd-quater
This book is about a teenager named Cole Mathews. He is always getting into trouble, and isn't a good kid. When he beats a kid named Peter Driscal so badly that he has permanent brain damage he gets in serious trouble. He is going to be put in jail, but he chooses something called Circle Justice instead. It is away to do justice, so you still get to live your life. Cole is just pretending that he wants to change so he doesn't go to jail. Cole gets banished to an island to learn to change. When h...more
Touching spirit bear by Ben Mikaelsen is about a 15 year old juvenile deliquant who is victim to his own anger problems. His mom is an alcoholic and his father is abusive to him. After smashing a peers head into a side walk for snitching on him he finds himself at the mercy of the court. And has no other decision but to go to a island in Alaska and survive for one year. With nothing else but the clothes on his back a knife and a blanket will he learn to find peace where others found it before? T...more
Cole Matthews is a very disturbed young man. His father beats him and his mother doesn't stop him. What is he supposed to do? He takes it out on everybody else. After beating a young boy (Peter) nearly to death he is sentenced to banishment on an island in Alaska. The Circle of Justice is a Native American system that deals with people instead of sending them to court or jail. Cole is defiant and on the island meets the Spirit Bear. He attempts to kill it and is mauled by the bear, left an inch...more
Touching Spirit Bear is about a boy named Cole Matthews. Cole is a trouble, criminal youth. One day he takes his criminal activity and badly beats up one of his classmates. Cole is on trial for what he did to his classmate and could be tried as an adult. A suggestion is made that he goes to an island in Alaska to try to "better" himself. When Cole gets to the island he has a very bad attitude about being there. He keeps coming in contact with the spirit bear. Cole wants too and tries to kill the...more
Touching Spirit Bear is the story of a young boy named Cole who is loosely described as a delinquent. In the past years, Cole has gotten in trouble and made mistakes, but when he beats up a boy, he is punished by being sent to isolation on an abandoned island. While on the island, Cole is supposed to learn how to survive in the wilderness, constantly seeing a white bear who mauled him. While on the island, Cole experiences many trails and challenges, doing whatever he can to survive and escape h...more
This is the story of a boy named Cole, who, after brutally beating another boy named Peter (leaving him with permanent damage) has to make a choice between prison, and Native American Circle Justice. Cole chooses to go through circle justice, which entails being left on a small island in Alaska for one year to survive on his own. Cole’s anger causes him some problems, and when he is nearly mauled to death by the Spirit Bear, he starts to realize that he needs to change. He begins to go through v...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: MG/YA--Bully goes to island, is attacked by bear [s] | 4 | 15 | May 15, 2013 06:00pm | |
| Class of 2014: adan | 1 | 5 | Feb 14, 2013 05:38pm | |
| Class of 2014: adan | 1 | 4 | Feb 14, 2013 09:37am | |
| SPSV Mrs. Rodgers...: Marcus Villalobos | 1 | 4 | Oct 08, 2012 08:55pm | |
| Conflicts of Touching Spirit Bear | 15 | 82 | May 25, 2012 07:59am | |
| Touching Spirit Bear | 2 | 14 | Apr 16, 2012 10:51am |
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1 trivia question
4 quizzes
More quizzes & trivia...
4 quizzes
“He turned to Edwin. "You know, the stuff you just told me makes more sense than all the weird things the counselors and psychologist have told me in school and at the detention center."
Edwin tapped Cole's shoulder with the broken stick. "That's because those people still think you can get rid of the left end of the stick.”
—
3 people liked it
Edwin tapped Cole's shoulder with the broken stick. "That's because those people still think you can get rid of the left end of the stick.”
“all my parents do is drink. They hate me. Do you know what it's like waking up every morning knowing you're not good enough? there are only two things wrong with me-everything I do and everything I say. They'll never be happy until I'm dead”
—
3 people liked it
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Apr 14, 2011 06:42am
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Apr 14, 2011 03:43pm