Touching Spirit Bear is a young adult fiction novel written by Ben Mikaelsen and originally published in 2002. It is a bildungsroman and adventure story and the first in a two-part series. Ben Mikaelsen was inspired by his own pet black bear, Buffy, to whom he dedicated the book; the novel also takes cultural inspiration from the Tlingit Tribe of Alaska. Touching Spirit Bear is the recipient of nine awards, including the Nevada Young Readers’ Award and the ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Award. Other works by Mikaelsen include Petey and Ghost of Spirit Bear.

This guide utilizes the 2002 Harper Collins ebook edition of the novel.

Content Warning: This guide contains references to substance use disorder, physical abuse and bullying, suicidal ideation, and incarceration. The novel also includes graphic descriptions of injuries.

Plot Summary

The novel begins as a teenage boy named Cole is on a skiff with two Tlingit men, Garvey and Edwin, traveling to a remote Alaskan island. Back in Minneapolis, Cole was arrested and charged for violently assaulting a boy named Peter Driscal after Peter reported Cole for stealing. Peter sustained severe and permanent brain injuries that affected his speech and movement, and Cole was going to receive jail time. However, Cole’s parole officer, Garvey, saw himself in Cole and wanted to help him, so he convinced the local Healing Circle (a tribal form of restorative justice) to hear Cole’s case, resulting in Cole’s banishment to an island.

When Cole arrives on the island, he is defiant, angry, untrusting, and violent. He blames the world for his problems and takes no responsibility for how his life is turning out. He believes he is being abandoned, and the first thing he does is burn down the shelter that Edwin built for him to live in. He watches it go up in flames, laughing wildly, seeing everything and everyone who hurt him burning along with the wood. This includes his father (who beats him), his mother (who ignores the beatings), and the world in general.

Though Cole is supposed to stay on the island for a year, he tries to escape almost immediately. He nearly freezes to death in the Alaskan waters and retreats—the first of several mistakes that result in him nearly dying. Cole has frequent flashbacks to his experiences at the Healing Circle that influence his thoughts and actions. He remembers lying in front of everyone, his father doing the same, and the people at the Circle doubting his ability to change. Nevertheless, the Healing Circle proved pivotal in keeping Cole out of jail.

On the island, Cole sees a white bear and knows it is a “Spirit Bear,” which Edwin told him about. He fashions a spear to kill it, but the next time they meet, the bear attacks him instead. It claws, bites, and crushes Cole, breaking his arm and leaving him with gaping wounds. Cole lies on the forest floor clinging to life as a storm rolls in. Above, he sees a nest of baby sparrows begging for food. The next morning, the tree has been struck down, and the baby sparrows are dead, still in the position of begging for food. As Cole lies there dying himself, he realizes that as long as he is alive, he has choices. He eats mice and insects to stay alive, and just as he is about to resign himself to death, the Spirit Bear returns to him. It inspects Cole, and Cole reaches out to touch it. He grabs a tuft of the bear’s fur, and the bear nods in understanding before wandering off. Cole feels grateful to be alive and to be trusted by the bear, and Edwin and Garvey soon rescue him and take him to a hospital.

Six months later, Cole leaves the hospital with a limp and countless scars. The Healing Circle rejects his plea to try again, but Edwin and Garvey believe in him and want to help. They agree to take Cole into their own custody and return to the island for one last chance at change and healing. Cole is determined to do things right the second time around, and Edwin and Garvey teach him several moral lessons and practical skills he can use to heal and learn to forgive himself and others. Edwin takes Cole to a freezing pond and has him sit in it to reflect and let his hurt soak away. He also teaches Cole to carry a stone representing his ancestors up a hill each morning. Then Cole is to roll the stone down, imagining it as his anger. Garvey teaches Cole that life is what he makes it, showing him how to turn a simple hot dog into a celebratory feast. He also provides Cole with a carving knife, which Cole uses to create his own totem pole.

When Cole is alone on the island once again, he employs all of the advice that Garvey and Edwin gave him and begins his healing journey. He soaks in the pond, carries the stone, and spends his days working hard. He builds his own cabin and furniture, keeps his own fire, cooks, reads, and completes homework. As Cole changes, he begins to feel remorse and responsibility for hurting not only Peter but himself. He forgives himself, his father, and his mother. Cole also learns to perform animal dances, using each one as a learning experience and then carving the animal into his totem pole. It is during this time that the Spirit Bear reappears, but only briefly. Then, Edwin arrives with news that Peter has attempted to die by suicide twice. Cole suggests that Peter come to the island and heal with him, and Edwin agrees that it may work.

Peter’s parents bring him to the island. Peter is reluctant and cautious for months, but he slowly starts speaking to and allowing himself to be in the company of Cole. However, he does not believe Cole has changed and acts passive-aggressively towards Cole to try to push him into violence. Cole stays calm and gives Peter all the time and patience he needs. Several months later, Peter attacks Cole in a violent way. Cole does not retaliate no matter how much Peter pushes him, and in the end the boys break down and resolve to stop fighting. Peter and Cole carve a circle into Cole’s totem pole to symbolize the circular nature and interconnectedness of life. Although neither boy is fully healed, both are on their way to a place of reconciliation, forgiveness, and even friendship.