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The Bear House #1

The Bear House

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In a gritty medieval world where the ruling houses are based on the constellations, betrayal, intrigue, and a king's murder force the royal sisters of the Bear House on the run!

Moody Aster and her spoiled sister Ursula are the daughters of Jasper Lourdes, Major of Bears and lord of all the realm. Rivals, both girls dream of becoming the Bear queen someday, although neither really deserve to, having no particular talent in... well, anything.

But when their Uncle Bram murders their father in a bid for the crown, the girls are forced onto the run, along with lowly Dev the Bearkeeper and the Lourdes's half-grown grizzly Alcor, symbol of their house. As a bitter struggle for the throne consumes the kingdom in civil war, the sisters must rely on Dev, the bear cub, and each other to survive--and find wells of courage, cunning, and skill they never knew they had.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

15 people are currently reading
322 people want to read

About the author

Meaghan McIsaac

10 books70 followers
Meaghan McIsaac is the author of several books for young readers, including The Bear House (shortlisted for the Forest of Reading Red Maple Award 2023) and Movers (a Shining Willow Finalist for the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards). Meaghan completed a masters in Children’s Writing at the University of Winchester and now lives in Toronto, Ontario with her family.

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5 stars
59 (27%)
4 stars
92 (42%)
3 stars
44 (20%)
2 stars
16 (7%)
1 star
6 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Kathie.
Author 3 books77 followers
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July 2, 2022
Very well done and enjoyable. I’d love to see more people find this medieval fantasy where a lust for power tears families apart and brings strangers together to fight against tyranny. I’d call this an upper middle grade read with dark themes and violence, but it will definitely appeal to readers who love well-developed worlds and unlikely alliances between neighbouring kingdoms. I look forward to reading the second book coming out in Oct 2022.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
567 reviews83 followers
October 30, 2021
The Bear House by Meaghan McIsaac was one of the best fantasies I have read this year! I was immediately captivated by the story, and devoured the book in two days. You find yourself in a lush, exciting, and harrowing adventure, one you never want to stop. And while this book seems self-contained, which I miss in a lot of fantasies lately, it is actually book one of a series. Which means I get to revisit this world and I am so excited about that!

This is some of the best worldbuilding I have gotten to read in a middle grade book. The complexity and extent of the religious system/ruling system in this book is unique. Based on constellations, this world is guided by the "On-High", the stars who are believed to have created High Beasts to protect and rule over the world, with the animals residing in separate kingdoms within the overall Highen. The greatest of them all in the Bear Highen is the Hemoth Bear kingdom, or Tawnshire. Within the Bear Highen are 7 other kingdoms: Whitlock (White Bear), Felisbrook (Lynx), Dracogart (Shadow Dragon), Twigate (Blue Giraffe), Roarque (Lion), and Hundford (Starhound). But while these are all individual kingdoms, they are ruled by the Major, the one chosen by the Hemoth Bear to be its partner. There is much more to it then this, but that is part of the enjoyment of the story.

The pace of this book is non-stop; it takes a couple of chapters to start, but once it does, hold on. The current Major's kingdom is under attack. His daughters, Ursula and Aster, both possible heirs to the throne, are in danger, escaping out of Tawnshire with the Apprentice Keeper Dev and the Hemoth bear cub, Alcor--not such a little bear. Being both spoiled brats, the journey to protect their lives and their kingdom forces the princesses to grow, both in their spirit and in their skills. There is a lot of intrigue along with the adventure, making this a fun twisty book in some respects. There are small times of rest, but the danger is never over, so constant situations arise that need to be dealt with, all pushing the story to the conclusion. With the pacing, you, as the reader, are pushed along just as quickly as the kids, but it never seems forced.

With the action being non-stop, it is also brutal in many aspects. This world is mediaeval in presentation, so with that comes some very harsh realities. The phrase "fight for your life" applies here, with characters in the book being murdered. Not graphically depicted, but not shied away from either. Also, the imperfections and evil of humans are explored, teaching lessons about morality, without being obvious or preachy.

As the book progresses, you also get to meet two princes from other kingdoms and their perspectives on what is happening in the realm. This goes back to the worldbuilding, making the reader understand that there is so much more to explore here, as each kingdom is different. Also, there are other Highens out there in the greater world, which add another layer to the situation completely. This also expands the possibility of further stories within the book series as a whole, which is very exciting.

Overall, this one is perfect for the young reader who wants to read high fantasy, but are perhaps a little too young for adult fiction. However, this book is definitely on par with those adult series, and I believe would be of interest to adult readers as well. Beautifully crafted, The Bear House by Meaghan McIsaac is a wonderful start to an exciting series I can't wait to read more in!
236 reviews6 followers
November 18, 2021
This was so good. One challenge we’ve had is finding good fantasy books for our kid who is moving into YA reading but hates romance. It’s been really hard to find good books that don’t have that element. This one was perfect for my young teen. And her mom :-)
Profile Image for Randy.
807 reviews
December 1, 2022
So much packed into one novel! I admire how the author managed to bring all the storylines together and complete the telling. Is there a possibility of a second novel, of course there is, but the story ends well just where it is. The use of magical animals to choose and guide the humans is interesting and the bond shared between the animals and their chosen human is wonderful. I definitely enjoyed reading through this one.
6 reviews1 follower
November 5, 2023
I love this book so much! It took me a little bit to get hooked (as usual) but after that I couldn't put it down. I loved Ursula and Aster's character development. All of the characters were very unique! The plot was so good. It has definitely become one of my new favorite books! I highly recommend that you read The Bear House. I love the friendships between Quintin, Dev, Aster, and Lorc! I also love the bond between Aster and Ursula. It was also very cool to see Aster and Bernadine after all it isn't often that I read a story with cousins that play an important role in it! If you get a chance you should definitely read this book.
Profile Image for book_worm119.
735 reviews16 followers
July 6, 2023
4.5
This was full of adventure, intrigue, mystery, and tension. This is a good read for upper middle grade readers. I hope I wasn't imagining the *tiny* hints of romance within this book..
Profile Image for Doreen.
3,252 reviews89 followers
December 23, 2021
12/18/2021 Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

12/23/2021 Oh, wow, I do hope this is the start of a series, because Meaghan McIsaac makes some truly great narrative and world-building choices here!

Imagine a realm where the kingdoms are devoted to the animal constellations that we readers more or less already know, with the Bear House ruling supreme over them all. The leaders of each kingdom, including the Major of Bear House, are selected by the divine symbols of each house, sacred beasts reared to battle and rule. The current Major is Jasper Lourdes, and his heirs are his daughters Ursula and Aster, young teenagers with a reputation for being silly and spoiled.

When the Minor of Bear House, Jasper's older brother Bram, suddenly makes a powerful, blasphemous play for the throne, it catches nearly all of Highen unawares. Bram is a man who's spent almost his entire life supporting his Major, but plans now to do away with his nieces and install his own daughter Bernadine in Jasper's place.

Unfortunately for him, Bernadine grew up with her cousins and has little interest in being a part of this treasonous plot. Instead, she helps the sisters escape with Alcor, the holy Hemoth Bear that will choose the next Major, as well as with Dev, the novice Keeper who's supposed to both rear Alcor and record the kingdom's history in his Star Writ. But will Bernadine change her mind about taking on the role of Major when she finds out the true reason for her father's treachery?

Meanwhile, the refugees from Bear House are desperately looking for safety while trying to rally the realm's other heirs to their cause. For Bram hasn't been the only person waiting in the wings to upset the status quo, as the House of the Shadow Dragon and the House of Hounds learn to their dismay. But who will answer the Lourdes sisters' call? Will they be able to save the Highen? More importantly, does it even need saving, or is Bram on the forefront of a much-needed religious reform?

This was a surprisingly thoughtful look at revolution and responsibility in the form of a middle-grade fantasy novel. None of the characters were stock: everyone had complex reasons and relationships, even if/when they were being shitheads. Ms McIsaac skillfully shows off how assumptions fail in the face of lived experience. At first, I was a bit annoyed that the sisters were considered spoiled when Dev was by far brattier than them both combined, but then I realized that that was the point, that the girls were meant to be considered frivolous despite all their accomplishments, simply because they're pretty young women who like nice clothes and don't make a big deal about their skills. It was honestly pretty neat to see how character counted for so much. As an older sister myself, I'm ngl: I'm hoping that Ursula gets her propers in the next book, assuming there is a next book! I love the entire constellation premise and would love to read so much more in this setting, especially under the even-handed, clever guidance of Ms McIsaac.

The Bear House by Meaghan McIsaac was published October 5 2021 by Holiday House and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
Profile Image for  eve.lyn._.reads.
1,105 reviews21 followers
May 18, 2022
🐻⭐👑𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔅𝔢𝔞𝔯 ℌ𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔢👑⭐🐻
4.5 Stars
Aster Lourdes second daughter of the king of Jasper Lourdes, Major of all Bears and lord of all the realm. But when Uncle Bram murders Aster's father, chaos insures. Aster, Ursula, and Dev the Keeper of the Bear escape. But after their escape, the throne is taken by Bram. Bram plans on installing his daughter Bernadine to the throne. Aster and Ursula must take back the throne, free their mother, and band together with the prince and princess of the other clans. To take back the throne.


I really enjoyed this book. The world-building was what I found the most epic. It was phenomenal and absolutely amazing. It was very complex, and is on my list of the top 10 biggest fantasy worlds. I absolutely loved the Bear highen, the medieval vibes, and the heir to the throne. Meaghan has a really immersive writing style. She explained the complex world-building in a perfect way. This book has around five POV and it we were given a character POVs at the exact time we needed it. My only issue with this book was that I found Ursula, and Aster very irritating.

Although Aster's character was written to be more realistic, and she had not yet faced any hardship, she was quite spoiled. Aster would act so superior. Eventually, after hardship, however, it shows how much it impacted her. Which set the gears in motion for her big character growth/arc. Prine Lorc Conri (Lorcan) of the House of Hounds was a good character. He was witty, cold, but also had a great character arc. Dev the Keeper of the Hemoth Bear, was great too. He was patient (unsure how he could put up with Aster for the first half of the book...). Quintin Wyvern Prince of the Shadow Dragons, also had a great character arc. I felt that some characters felt like they got crammed to the side near the end.

I'm really excited for book two to see what will happen next! I really great middle-grade fantasy!
✅PLOT
🆗PLOT TWIST
🆗CHARACTERS
Profile Image for Barbara.
15k reviews315 followers
June 26, 2022
The action never stops in this fantasy novel filled with betrayal, interesting characters, and a world where the various kingdoms are associated with constellations and certain animals. This seems to be the start of a series, and I can only assume that the next installments will focus on other houses since this one follows the fate of two sisters, Ursula and Aster Lourdes, rather spoiled, terribly indulged by their father who is the Major of the House of the Hemoth Bear, and disinterested in training or studying the history of their lands or preparing for their possible future roles. But when their father, Jasper, is betrayed by his brother, the girls rise to the occasion. They flee their home with the bear, Alcor, and his young keeper Dev. Dev is just as inexperienced and unsure as the two sisters, but all of them are determined to survive and avenge the betrayal. They turn out to have help from several unexpected sources, who also exceed the expectations of others. The worldbuilding here is interesting and unique, and there are some surprises along the way. Fans of dragons and animals with special abilities and bonds to only certain humans will enjoy this title, a good choice for middle graders since the young characters are at the heart of the storyline. And thank goodness, for once, there's no romance present in the book although there might be hints of one to come. I did think, though, that there were several characters introduced so briefly that it was hard to care about them or to keep them separated in my mind.
Profile Image for Rennai.
284 reviews4 followers
May 28, 2023
What a super read for upper primary-lower secondary fantasy-loving students.
This is an intricate tale of the Highen world and the stars that guide them. Ursula and Aster are the rather spoilt young daughters of the Major, Jasper Loudes (the leader of Bear House and world). The girls are thrust into danger and have to show their mettle due to the untimely death of their father and the great bear. The young children of the rulers of each region also have to determine their own futures when it becomes apparent that the fate of the Major is also what happened to their parents. With many of the High Beasts and rulers slain and only their youngsters left - what is to become of the world?
I loved this story of the young giant bears, dragons and Starhounds joining with the offspring of the old rulers to ensure order is returned to the world. Aster and Ursula step up to the challenge and with help, challenge the usurpers.
Profile Image for Katie.
396 reviews37 followers
September 3, 2023
3.5

Typically I am not a high fantasy reader so I was very hesitant about reading this Canadian middle - grade novel. However, I was pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of it! I think because it is middle-grade, the world building and storyline was written at a level that was easy for me to grasp and understand. I found that between my first and second reading sessions I had created a foundational understanding that carried me through reading the rest of the novel.

This is definitely a fantasy series I would recommend to readers! I think fans of the Warriors might enjoy the animal-themes. It also features dynamic and relatable sibling and friend relationships. It is medium-paced but full of adventure that keeps the storyline moving.

I will not hesitate to continue the series or pick up books by this author if I need to in the future.

Profile Image for Amy.
2,133 reviews6 followers
June 16, 2023
I was really impressed with the world building and the characters in this book. It feels medieval in many aspects with very cool stars/OnHigh/animals elements. Each kingdom has a Major and a Minor, and an animal that picks them to rule. Aster and Ursula are two spoiled princesses who find themselves in the middle of a cunning plan for someone to take power. Aster and other children from kingdoms must try and save the great beasts from evil and restore the peace. The world building does take some time to understand, so readers must be patient. There is a lot of violence and killing in parts of the book, but nothing super graphic. Curses include “turds of Tawn”. Fantasy fans who like animals will really enjoy this book. 6th grade and up.
Profile Image for Jessica Robbins.
2,598 reviews50 followers
October 31, 2021
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.

This is a fantastic start to a new middle grade fantasy series. We get to follow two extremely spoiled sisters as they are forced to run for their lives after their Uncle killed their father so he could be the leader of the bears. This leads to quite the adventure full of wonderful characters that are sure to keep the readers attention. Makes for quite the fun read. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
Profile Image for Molly Cluff.
271 reviews65 followers
January 3, 2022
Really enjoyed this! A medieval feeling fantasy that I think would be great for the many Ranger's Apprentice fans we have come to our library. I liked the multiple points of view, the various kingdoms, and how each kingdom is associated with a special animal associated with the constellations (as a kid I loved kid/animal magical bonds! And I still do, let's be honest). Loved Lorc Conri and his rebel bad-boy vibes, haha.
533 reviews1 follower
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February 23, 2022
The Bear House is the ruling ruler with a bear as its familiar. All the other houses have familiars based on the consellations. The Minor kills the King and his familiar which starts a whole chain of events. The daughters for the King now fear for their lives and that of the young bear who is still in training. Can they stop the evil and save the kingdom? Who will come to their aid? Will the children out smart the plot of the Minor?
435 reviews3 followers
March 30, 2022
I really enjoyed the world building in the story and hope to see additional adventures in this world. A lot of story was wrapped up in this one tale. This is one of the few times that I wonder if it would have been better to break the book into smaller parts. All the characters come together very quickly. There's a lot of backstory that could have contributed to the arc of the tale that was missed.

But, lots of action and intrigue. Characters are well drawn.
Profile Image for Terry Costantini.
234 reviews3 followers
February 14, 2023
This book had a lot of promise. I am an avid fantasy reader, and from time to time, I enjoy Teen Fantasy as a break from the long, epic adult fantasy I enjoy consuming.
This book just had too much handholding for me. Things seemed over explained and far too convenient. I think very young readers would enjoy it, but teens are far more complex these days, and I feel this one just doesn't flex the inference muscles in your brain enough to be memorable.
Profile Image for L..
Author 2 books16 followers
February 18, 2022
Wasn't really sold on it in the beginning, but goodness there were some good action scenes in the middle and towards the end. I would love to see a movie adaptation of this, to see the creatures on a big screen. The author probably knew that her battles and chases were, like, intensely cinematic. Lookin' forward to the sequel!
Profile Image for Liza.
790 reviews61 followers
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April 14, 2022
Dnfed around page 55. This definitely read more young teen than upper middle grade(which was not what I was expecting going into the book)
There's also a scene where it says a solider touches Ursula by the collar of her dress and the character reactions give it a vibe of implication of sexual assault which is something I do not want in middle grade stories that I read.
218 reviews
December 5, 2021
I don’t enjoy fantasy but this book and the characters did engage me. I will be gifting it to my 12 year old grandson who loves fantasy and series!
Profile Image for Izzy.
70 reviews
December 28, 2022
A wonderfully written novel with strong character development and a strong plot twist
62 reviews2 followers
February 19, 2023
in my opinion, it was confusing to read. lots was going on, especially in different point of views. but I enjoyed the plot - it was just really messy for me.
Profile Image for star_fire13.
1,390 reviews14 followers
March 5, 2023
Took me a minute to get into it, but then it flew by.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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