2. The book begins
with a 15-year-
old thug named
Cole Matthews,
who beats up
Peter Driscoll
for telling on
him.
3. Peter is left with permanent and severe
brain damage, which causes him to
stutter.
4. Cole goes to jail for beating up Peter,
and he gets a Native American parole
officer named Garvey.
5. Instead of going
to prison,
Garvey gives
Cole the option
of Circle
Justice, which is
a system that
requires Cole to
apologize and
learn to control
his anger with a
punishment
that is relevant
to the person’s
situation.
7. When Cole arrives
at the island, he
burns the cabin
that Garvey built
for him. He tries to
swim away, but the
tide pushes him
back.
8. He sees a white bear near him, and
because Cole is angry and it is in his
territory, he goes and tries to kill it.
9. Will Cole kill the
bear, or will the
bear maul him to
death? Will Cole
turn his life
around and get
out of trouble?
Find out in
Touching Spirit
Bear, by Ben
Mikaelsen.
