Set in Alaska before it was a state. About a young boy who befriends a bear that a neighbor keeps locked up in a shed- for five years since he shot its mother when it was a cub. The owner neglects the bear, but Mark feeds it his sandwiches and trusts the bear- he can pet it, sleep next to it, unhook its chain and lead it places. His parents – and all the other neighbors in their small town- are shocked and worried for their safety when they find out about the bear. After seeing Mark’s interactions with Ben, the parents agree he is probably safe but they are always nearby with a rifle, just in case. When the bear’s actual owner learns that Mark has gentled the animal, he is instantly jealous. A bunch of drunk men stupidly provoke the bear into attacking someone, and then the whole town demands something must be done. They can’t just release the bear, because he will follow Mark back home. It seems he’s destined to be shot by frightened townspeople, or trophy hunters who visit looking for thrills. Mark can’t stand the idea of Ben being shot. His parents try to think of a solution. And it looks like one has been found- but more unscrupulous men twist the tale into a new direction. It did end up well in the end, in fact an almost perfect ending (a hunter trying to shoot Ben ends up getting saved by the bear instead, when the boy intervenes- and the experience changes him so much that he puts down his weapon and declares he will only travel to Alaska to photograph wildlife from now on).
This story is so much more than just a boy’s friendship with a bear, challenging the prejudices of everyone’s fear. It’s about the family struggling financially when his father’s fishing boat is damaged. About the annual salmon run, how it supports the town’s economy, and the methods of catching salmon. About fish poachers and canning sheds and bargaining for freezer storage space. Also how the family is overcoming the loss of Mark’s older brother to an illness, how the mother always worries for the safety of her husband and her child, and full of the wild and natural setting of Alaska. I know I read this book when I was a kid- I vaguely remember the parts about the bear, and the illustrations by John Schoenherr were vividly familiar. I had completely forgotten all the details of the fishing boat and the salmon traps, the boy’s first job helping on the seiner, and the nature writing bits- which were plenty interesting to read about as an adult, adding a lot of depth to the story.
Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 6/24/24.