KLIATT
- Paula Rohrlick
According to Ojibway tradition, "bearwalkers" are part bear and part human, vicious monsters driven by blood lust. On a class trip to a wilderness camp in the Adirondacks, Baron, a Mohawk 8th-grader bullied by his classmates, meets one of the counselors and immediately suspects that the man is one of these terrible creatures. When an explosion blocks the only road out of the camp and the phone lines are cut, it appears that this counselor is part of a plot to close the camp down so that some greedy men can gain control of the land. Baron must somehow escape this bearwalker—and some real bears, too—in a mad race through the woods in order to rescue himself and his classmates and foil the plot. This exciting horror story, illustrated with b/w drawings, is based on Native American folklore, like Bruchac's The Dark Pond and Skeleton Man. It's got lots of tense and rather gruesome moments, and readers will cheer Baron on as he proves himself a hero.
Children's Literature
- Denise W. McGrain
Baron was new in school and like any other kid, he hated being the new kid on the block. Being new was one thing, but being different was an added burden. His mom was in Baghdad, and his father had vanished two years ago in Afghanistan. He was now living with his grandmother whom he loved, but it was not the same as being with his mother. One day Mrs. Mars, the school librarian, handed him a book after seeing him in the library so often. When he saw the cover, he snatched the book so quickly out of her hand that he almost took her fingers with it. The Sacred Paw was just the thing he loved to read; ever since he was little he had loved stories, pictures, and anything about bears. He had always had a lifelong fascination with bears, plus he was a Native American from the Mohawk tribe, belonging to the Bear Clan. He remembered his mom telling him one time that his very first word had been bear. One day, Baron comes face to face with what, at first, looked like a bear and then a human. He soon realizes that the stories he had heard handed down from generation to generation were not a myth, but tales of a real live bloodthirsty monster! He would have to deal with on this monster in his own way on his own terms. This book is a great reading adventure for any young reader who is ready for the deep unknown and the adventure of a life time.
Kirkus Reviews
Thirteen-year-old Baron Braun has enough to deal with: new school, bullies, being short, a missing father and a mother in Iraq. He does not need a week at camp with his new classmates and those bullies. When he gets to Camp Chuckamuck, he finds that it's run by the creepy Mr. Mack. What's even more frightening is Walker White Bear who is decidedly un-Native American, despite his looks. Walker also reminds Baron of the Mohawk legends about a man who turns himself into a monster bear by killing his relatives. Without warning, the only road to camp is destroyed by scheming developers. Baron is the only hope of his classmates, and whether he's a Mohawk monster come to life or just a crazy human, Walker stands in Baron's way. Despite a plot that runs on slasher-film logic and an inconsistent use of the convention of the tale told in a journal, fans of Bruchac's short, Native American legend-inspired horror will enjoy this latest entry in the series. (Fiction. 9-12)
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Bruchac spins a striking story, filled with interesting information about bears, chilling moments around the campfire, and life–or–death chase scenes. Readers will return again and again to this adventure tale.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Bruchac spins a striking story, filled with interesting information about bears, chilling moments around the campfire, and lifeordeath chase scenes. Readers will return again and again to this adventure tale."
The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books
“Bruchac spins a striking story, filled with interesting information about bears, chilling moments around the campfire, and life-or-death chase scenes. Readers will return again and again to this adventure tale.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Bruchac spins a striking story, filled with interesting information about bears, chilling moments around the campfire, and lifeordeath chase scenes. Readers will return again and again to this adventure tale.”
