The title of the book sums up the plot. A boy hires a bear to take him across a body
of water on the bear's boat, the Harriet.
Things do not go as planned. The
bear's questionable competency as captain, or as he says, 'unforeseeable
anomalies' in the currents result in the Harriet drifting to the middle of
nowhere. It does not take long for the
boy to become bored and pessimistic. Though the bear remains confident that things
will work out fine, all evidence points to the contrary. The boy and the bear
eventually run out of food and have to learn how to fish. They also encounter a sea monster, battle
through storms and discover a possible ghost ship. The relationship between the boy and the bear
alternates between irritation and affection. The book’s open ending shows the
importance of the journey over reaching the final destination.
I honestly don’t know what to make of this short existential
story. On the positive side, there are
great comic exchanges between the bear and the boy and the illustrations are
fantastic. On the other hand, if this
book had a point, I didn’t get it. The action is understated and the characters
are not well-developed. The novel left
me feeling much like the boy: bored and annoyed. I cannot see middle grade students enjoying
Shelton’s book.
2 out of 5 stars
Grades 3-6
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