Moon Bear

January 26, 2015
In northern Laos, 12-year-old Tam and his family endure one hardship after the next. His family is forced out of its mountain home to make way for a road, a hidden bomb kills his father, and Tam is sent away to work a dangerous job tending a handful of caged bears for a man known as the Doctor. Lewis’s (Wild Wings) simple word choice and sentence structure belie the rich atmosphere and symbolism that she deftly integrates into this tale, which is populated by relatable and fully realized characters. At the heart of the story is Sôok-dìi, a moon bear cub that Tam helps raise from infancy. Like Tam, the bear is a victim of circumstances—forced to live in a cage and endure experimentation, he is restless and yearns to be free. Through Tam’s selfless quest to get the bear back to the wild, and his protection of the cub at the expense of his own well-being, readers witness the depths of his bravery, compassion, and strong moral compass. Art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

Starred review from December 1, 2014
Like Naam-peng, the bravest bee in a much-loved story, a boy faces a monster-bear-bile farming-and makes a difference. When the moon bear cub that Tam first encountered in the forests near his family's old village arrives as a captive for the bear farm in a Laotian city where the 12-year-old has been sent to work, Tam promises to get them both back to their mountain home. Tam's village life ended with his tribe's relocation to the lowlands. Then a bomb, buried in their new farmland during the war 40 years earlier, kills his father. Gen. Chan, responsible for the relocation, arranges employment for young Tam in a city "farm" where bears are kept in cages so that bile, used for traditional medicine, can be extracted from their gall bladders. Gen. Chan is also a customer. His beloved daughter is ill; he hopes the bile will cure her. Though the work is hard and his boss unstable, Tam is staying with a family that cares for him; the bears aren't so lucky. This appealing first-person account spotlights a lesser-known issue of animal cruelty but, appropriately for its audience, has a hopeful resolution. There is sufficient Laotian history and culture woven in to provide an authentic, intriguing setting, along with just the right measure of suspense. A moving and memorable tale of a boy and his bear. (Fiction. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 15, 2015
Grades 4-7 Tam and his family have always lived in the mountains of Laos, but the Laotian government plans to build a road through their village, so they've been relocated to the lowlands with the promise of school, jobs, and electricity. The reality is not so rosy: their new village is on land containing 40-year-old unexploded cluster bombs, one of which kills Tam's father. With no one to support his family, Tam is sent to work on a bear farm, where bears are kept in small cages and milked of their valuable bile. Tam is aghast, and when his sadistic boss buys a sickly cub, Tam takes it upon himself to protect the moon bear, who he names Sook Dii. Tam is torn between earning money to support his family and protecting the bears, which he hopes to return to their natural habitat. Tam's accessible first-person narrative offers an illuminating, gritty glimpse into an industry that's likely foreign to most American readers as well as insight into his powerful determination, bravery, and cheerworthy passion. Illustrations not seen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)