The Good Bear - Sarah Lean (Released October 2020)

Thea loves Christmas and the traditions she and her mum have developed over the years; however, this year things will be different as she is to spend Christmas with her father and his new family in Norway.  Thea is anxious about the visit (having not seen her father in years and having been disappointed he didn't send her the typewriter she asked for in her letter) but hopeful that the visit will help to bring them closer together.  However, things don't go well in Norway: Henry, Thea's father, is distant and the rest of his family don't seem to want to know her.  Upset, she flees to into the woods near her father's home only to come face to face with a bear; a bear in need of her help.  As Thea and the bear grow close, can she help protect him against the entire town?

Thea is desperate to forge a relationship with her father who seems to want very little to do with her - it broke my heart to see her feeling so alone and isolated, especially at Christmas; however, without this, she would never have met the bear, nor the wonderful and rather enigmatic V who accepts her and allows her to explore her desire to be a writer.  It's the father-daughter relationship that's at the heart of the book and I suspect is something many children experience when parents are no longer together.  The relationship between Thea and the bear is one of trust and love; exactly what she is craving from her father.  She feels very isolated but it is good to see her eventually be able to reflect on her own actions and behaviour.

The Good Bear is a heart-warming story of the bond that can grow between humans and animals.  It's a huggable feast for the soul and most definitely a book to curl up with on a dark winter's night.  It has a timeless quality to it - in the writing and the fact that it's a flashback to Thea's childhood - making it a book that you'll most definitely pick up again and again.