The Last Bear by Hannah Gold

This week I have read 'The Last Bear' by Hannah Gold and illustrated by Levi Pinfold after it was recommended by a girl at our school Book Club. This book is perfect for children aged 8+ who love adventure with an environmental theme. 

This is a gorgeous story about a girl who meets a bear - the last bear - on Bear Island. April has a wild nature and an affinity with animals just like her mother. April and her father move to Bear Island after he is offered a job for the Norwegian government. April thinks this 6 month trip to the Arctic Circle will give the pair time together to reconnect however her father's job is much more demanding than he thought which leaves April with a lot of time on her hands. The journey to Bear Island is gruelling one with April suffering with seasickness on a cargo ship, that is until she meet Tör (the captain's son) who shares some welcome advice. He also answers April's questions about Bear Island and shares some warnings about the wilderness and confirms that there are no bears remaining on Bear Island however when she arrives she sees something move on the horizon, something unexpected.

With a lot of time on her hands, April explores the island in hopes of finding what she was convinced she saw on her arrival. It doesn't take April long to find Bear who has been trapped on the island and without help he will become another victim of global warming. April gets to work on a plan to save Bear and starts the biggest adventure of her life.

A truly heart warming adventure with a message that no one is too small to make a difference. 

Heads up: April’s mum has died in a car accident caused by a drink driver. 

You can find Hannah Gold on Twitter @HGold_author and great news in that Hannah has announced (last week) that April and Bear will be returning in her upcoming new release 'Finding Bear' which has already been added to my to read pile. 

KS2 Books

There are a number of books that I used during my time in Year 6 and I thought that they might just be worth sharing with you.

Letters from the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll @emmac2603. Utterly brilliant!

I used this during our 'World Wars' topic. The children absolutely loved the novel (and I remember my TA at the time taking a copy home to read as she had enjoyed reading parts of it with a smaller group). The mystery around the disappearance of Olive's sister and the clues given throughout the kept the children engaged from start to end. 

Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick. Another great read.

Used during our 'Our World' topic, linking to global warming. The story of Zoe, who is desperate to find her parents, ends up finding her way to Eels Island. A dangerous island where she needs to survive and find an escape from the dangers all around her. 

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt @LynMullalyHunt. Brilliant for understanding dyslexia.

I started this book with a Year 6 'bubble' during the first lockdown. Due to the lockdowns we never completed the book which was absolutely gutting. In my bubble of 6, there was a child with dyslexia which was one of the reasons I chose the book. The reaction from the child with dyslexia was beautiful. They related to the struggles of Ally and discussed their own experiences of school with the group. This was one of the books which made me push for a reading curriculum that was representative of the children in our school.