The Girl Who Speaks Bear

LoveReading4Kids Says

Shortlisted for CILIP Carnegie Medal 2021 | Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2021

Yanka is that much-loved staple of the fairy tale: an orphan.  She’s grown up with her foster-mother Mamochka who found her in the wild as a baby, and mostly feels at home and happy in their village, though she’s conscious that she’s much bigger and stronger than the other children. All that changes after an accident when Yanka wakes up to find she has the legs of a bear.  She also has, less alarmingly, the ability to understand animals, including her pet weasel the charismatic Mousetrap.  Remembering a story about a family turned into bears, she sets off with Mousetrap to find out who she really is. Yanka’s adventures are full of danger, enchantment and stories within stories. Perhaps best of all is her meeting with the extraordinary House with Chicken Legs, which becomes a friend and helps in her quest. Like the best fairy stories, her tale takes readers into a fantastical world while at the same time telling them truths about the characters and themselves, in this case the importance of love, loyalty and learning to accept who you are. It’s beautifully told, feels both original and traditional, and sparkles with its magic.

One to recommend to fans of Catherine Doyle’s equally magical and captivating Storm Keeper books.

Andrea Reece

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