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The Girl who Speaks Bear

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The Girl who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson, and Kathrin Honesta

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By Sophie Anderson, and and, Kathrin Honesta

avg rating

206 reviews

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 CARNEGIE MEDAL

""Written with passion and compassion, Anderson’s talent as a weaver of magic and creator of evocative landscapes is growing with every book."" – The Daily Mail

""Enchanting story."" – The Daily Telegraph

They call me Yanka the Bear. Not because of where I was found – only a few people know about that. They call me Yanka the Bear because I am so big and strong.

Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, Yanka has always wondered about where she is from. She tries to ignore the strange whispers and looks from the villagers, wishing she was as strong on the inside as she is on the outside. But, when she has to flee her house, looking for answers about who she really is, a journey far beyond one that she ever imagined begins: from icy rivers to smouldering mountains meeting an ever-growing herd of extraordinary friends along the way.

Interwoven with traditional stories of bears, princesses and dragons, Yanka’s journey is a gorgeously lyrical adventure from the best-selling author of The House With Chicken Legs.

Reviews

15 Sep 2024

I don't normally go for these almost fantasy style books, but I loved it. Some really heart warming and useful life lessons for the children, whilst being an exciting adventure. I couldn't wait to pick it up again each evening.

31 Aug 2024

It might have been one of the best books I have ever read, I highly recommend it to older readers.

04 Aug 2024

I thought that this book was amazing because it's shifts between normal life and complete randomness! Sophie Anderson is a great author and is great at descriptive books, so I highly reccomend this book!

26 Jun 2024

It’s really dangerous and exciting.

02 Oct 2023

This story is about Yanka, a girl found in a bear cave, who wonders where she has come from, and who are her family. The story details her search for answers, and her adventures along the way. A lovely tale, filled with interesting characters she meets during her journey. A heartwarming story.

08 Sep 2023

A fascinating book, about stories which sound unbelievable, but in fact are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle which all fits together perfectly at the end.
It also has a message about how we should care and respect each other.

30 Aug 2023

The Girl who Speaks Bear I would recommend to anyone. It is about the lovely nature around us.

Yanka, who lives with her foster mum, Momoka, goes to a snow festival where she falls off an ice palace causing her legs to turn into the legs of a bear. Rather than going to the hospital she goes into the woods to find out the truth about her past. She makes lots of new friends including Yuri who is an Elk, Ivan a wold and Elena & Valentina who are human. Mousetrap is her pet weasel who comes with her into the woods.
She has lots of adventures with her friends which lead to her finding out the truth about her past. She eventually goes back to live with Momoka.

I started reading this with my class and I loved reading it so much that I had to finish it by myself.

5 star review

30 Aug 2023

It was a beautiful book about the beauty of the forest and how to find your hearts true purpose

06 Aug 2023

I really enjoyed this book with its link to ancient fairy tales. The house with chicken legs is a character in itself. Yanka's journey is a as much about understanding herself and being comfortable in her own skin, as it is an adventure in the snow forest.

06 Aug 2023

A really nice book about how you can find your place and family by going on big adventures!

05 Aug 2023

A magical tale. Loved how it used story telling to reveal Yanka's past and moved the story forward. Liked the message of team work and the value of friendship/family, however your family is made up.

18 Jul 2023

Adventure and fun!

17 Jul 2023

It is an amazing book

17 Jul 2023

A great mix of mythical, magical and imaginative stories embedded into Yanka's journey of self discovery. Yanka is trying to find out who she is, battling between the magic of the forest and the human world. I really liked how it felt we were part of Yanka's adventure and how the author uses the Chapters to share "Once upon a time..." mini stories which tie together beautifully.

14 Jul 2023

I loved this book because she finally found out about her past but my favourite thing was when she escaped to the forest

12 Jul 2023

This book was Amazing! This book is so amazing and full of interest that even when the vacuum was on I could not hear but the words of the characters. I love all the humor in it and the twists and the emotions of this book. this book is very detailed and is loving. Also it does't end so quick once she is nice, cozy and safe something still happens. My favourite character is the weasel and is named mousetrap for certain reasons. He is the one who makes me laugh the most. I recommend to ages of 9-13 as it is very complex and a little complicated.

11 Jul 2023

This was a very interesting story and one of the longest stories I have ever read. I loved the main character as she wasn’t selfish and loved her family very much and it had very good twists and surprises. It was a great adventure.

08 Jul 2023

Pretto nice

06 Jul 2023

I liked Yanka best because she is very brave. I would recommend this book to people which like adventurous books.

22 Jun 2023

I loved this book! It took me on an exciting journey through places that were familiar but I have never been to them.
The description and pace of the story made me want to just keep reading.
I highly recommend this book.

02 Jan 2023

I loved the connection to her first book, and all of the different feelings of Yanka.
Also loved the mini stories.

01 Nov 2022

I thought this was a lovely story. It explored friendship, sadness, identity and so much more. Yanka is a wonderful female protagonist.

21 Sep 2022

I thought that this was a very heart warming book of a girl who wanted to find her real mother and father.
My thoughts on what I have read are that Mousetrap is a very talented little Weasel.
My favourite character was Mousetrap because even though he is small he can fight off pretty much anything it seems.
I would recommend this book to another person because it a book where you feel for the character and want them to do their best

09 Sep 2022

I loved it soooooooo much!!!
The character I liked best was 2 (I can’t choose a person) is Ivan the wolf and mousetrap the weasle. I’ve got other books to get on with-BYE!!!

05 Sep 2022

This was a very good book full of adventure perfect for kids who like mystery and adventure

04 Sep 2022

The person i liked the best was anatoly and its about about a girl that was born in a village and her family had a curse that they would all turn into bears.

04 Sep 2022

A compelling adventure begins from the first page as Yanka sets out on a journey to discover her past and find out who she really is.

03 Sep 2022

I rated this book 5 stars as it is adventurous and mysterious. I would recommend this to someone else as it is exciting.

02 Sep 2022

It was an awesome book, probably one of the best I’ve ever read! I absolutely loved it. My favourite characters were Yanka, Mousetrap, Yuri, Blakiston, Ivan, Anatoly and Bear Tsarina because they were the good guys and the main characters. I would recommend it to Maia and Ben.

26 Aug 2022

My favourite character in this story is Mousetrap. If you like animal stories you should definitely read this book.
Yanka is a girl who lives with her Grandma. She was found in a bear cave by her grandma when Yanka was a baby. One day Yanka gets bear legs! She travels to meet and defeat Smey the Dragon to break the curse

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