Ghost of Spirit Bear (2008) is a young adult novel written by Ben Mikaelsen. It is the sequel to Touching Spirit Bear (2001) and expands its themes and characters. Mikaelsen lives in Montana and has his own pet black bear named Buffy. He is an award-winning author of ten young adult novels. In Ghost of Spirit Bear, the protagonist, Cole, returns from banishment to an Alaskan island. While putting into practice what he learned on the island, Cole honors his ancestors by honoring himself, and creates and changes his inner and outer reality. Along the way, he forges powerful relationships and discovers the impact of Friendship Grown Out of Conflict and Forgiveness.

This guide is based on the 2010 HarperCollins paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: This guide contains mention of death by suicide, bullying, and gang violence.

Plot Summary

Ghost of Spirit Bear begins where Touching Spirit Bear concluded, with Cole and his friend Peter getting ready to leave the Alaskan island where Cole was banished. Cole’s parole officer, Garvey, is there to help them and take them back. He insists that Cole destroy his cabin so that nature may heal. Cole was banished to the island after violently beating Peter, leaving him with a permanent brain injury. He later invited Peter to the island, and Peter eventually forgave Cole. Now, they are best friends. They take one last trip to their sacred pond and soak in the icy water to reflect and feel peace. They see the Spirit Bear one last time, staring at them from afar. Afterward, they carry rocks meant to symbolize their ancestors up a large hill. They roll them down, along with their frustration and anger. Before leaving the island, Garvey notes that the Spirit Bear can be found by anyone who looks for it.

Cole starts school again and feels overwhelmed and out of place. He finds he now prefers nature and spends most of his time with Peter, the only other person who understands. Cole worries that he won’t be able to control his anger in an environment that is so chaotic and often violent; he finds his school is still filled with gangs, bullies, and a general negative atmosphere. In an attempt to replicate their ritual on the island, Cole and Peter sit in a grocery store freezer and buy old bowling balls to carry up an apartment building staircase before throwing them out the window. The new rituals don’t seem to have the same effect and leave the boys unsatisfied and frustrated. They see something outside the building that looks like the Spirit Bear, but it turns out to be an unhoused man wrapped in a white blanket.

One day walking home from school, Peter and Cole are confronted by a boy named Keith and his friends. They start punching Peter, and Cole tries to defend him by punching back. Cole is reprimanded by both the principal, Ms. Kennedy, and Garvey, who warns him that he needs to learn to fight with his heart. Garvey tells Cole that by controlling his inner reality, he can maintain peace no matter what goes on around him.

Peter and Cole attempt to catch Keith attacking them and call the principal the next time Keith approaches them. As Keith and his friends are punching and kicking Cole and Peter, they sit on the ground and do nothing. Ms. Kennedy arrives and reprimands the boys, but they don’t face any real consequences. That evening, Peter and Cole see the man they mistook for a Spirit Bear being attacked in the same way by some local boys. The man tries to defend himself with a whittling knife but is arrested by the police, who arrive only after the boys have left. Peter finds a carving of a bear’s head amidst the man’s belongings and takes it home to copy it. Later, he and Cole return it and Peter’s carving to the man, telling him they don’t want to hurt him.

That night, Cole attends a Circle Justice meeting, a type of meeting held by the Tlingit tribe. Peter and Garvey defend him and claim that he has changed. Cole is more concerned about the fact that Peter continues to be bullied and wonders what to do about it. During the weekend, Cole manages to find his inner peace outside the mall entrance despite all of the noise and chaos. He imagines himself in the forest surrounded by animals and trees, and when he awakens, he sees the Spirit Bear man again. Cole is approached by Keith on the way home and tells Keith he will report him if he hurts him again. Keith doesn’t believe him and kicks and punches Cole. When Cole files a report, Garvey tells him he still hasn’t learned to fight with his heart.

Cole goes to see his father, who has been absent since Cole came back. His father dismisses him and tells Cole he has given up on him as a son. Cole confesses that he misses his father and then leaves in tears. A few days later, Cole is standing outside school when Keith rides toward him on his skateboard. Cole steps out of the way, and Keith’s skateboard hits a crack in the sidewalk. He crashes into the stairs headfirst and is badly injured. Cole holds his head and has another student call an ambulance while Keith looks at him with confusion. Later, Cole visits Keith at the hospital. Keith thanks him for his help.

The Spirit Bear man soon approaches Peter and Cole again, and he returns his bear head carving to them as a gift. Cole decides to drop the charges against Keith as a gesture of peace, believing that Keith was punished enough through his injuries. Peter is violently attacked soon after, and nobody knows who the attackers were. Cole feels protective of his friend and wants something to be done. When Ms. Kennedy brings police officers into the school, Cole wonders if it is just another empty gesture. He suggests holding a school-wide Circle meeting, and Ms. Kennedy hesitantly agrees to try it. She calls in the Keeper from Cole’s Circle meetings, who guides the students along as they state their concerns and ideas for change. Cole suggests changing the school’s bulldog mascot into a Spirit Bear to reflect their desire for improvement and strength. Later, Peter suggests giving his at.óow (a blanket that Cole previously gave him and which represents love and friendship) to the Spirit Bear man, but Cole dislikes the idea and tells him not to do it.

The following Monday, Cole arrives at school to find that students are already putting their ideas into action. An assembly is held to organize the students into groups based on the plan they align with most, with hundreds of students joining Cole’s group to change the mascot. Cole is elected the group leader and acquires signatures from almost all of the students. The petition is sent to the district office, which denies it, and Ms. Kennedy suggests going to the school board instead. Cole and several other students attend the next school board meeting and state their case, and the issue is brought forward to the following meeting. The next meeting is attended by over a hundred people, some in favor of the idea and others against it. When the issue is brought to a special hearing, several hundred people from the community attend. Students, parents, and educators speak their opinions, and Cole states that he believes it will be a worthy symbol of the change the school is trying to enact.

The board votes in favor of the change, and Cole is celebrated by his peers. They immediately get to work on changing the gymnasium mural and fundraising for new uniforms. When snow starts to fall, Peter insists on giving his at.óow to the Spirit Bear man, and Cole no longer argues. They go to the apartment complex to find the man, but instead all they find is a large wooden statue of a Spirit Bear. Unsure how the man knew exactly what they needed, the boys take the statue back to the school with the intention of putting the at.óow with it as a symbol of the school’s newfound unity.