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Jump to navigationJump to searchA Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton (view source)
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'''Longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2013'''
'''Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013'''
'''Shortlisted for the Costa Children's book Award 2012'''
''A boy and a bear go to sea, equipped with a suitcase, a comic book and ukulele. They are only travelling a short distance and it really shouldn't take too long. But then their boat encounters "unforeseeable anomalies"... Faced with turbulent stormy seas, a terrifying sea monster and the rank remains of The Very Last Sandwich, the odds soon become pitted against our unlikely heroes.''
This set up reminds you of the [[''Life of Pi by Yann Martell|The Life of Pi]]'', right? And I guess, in terms of imagination, it is a little bit like that. Our little boy - we never know his name - suffers the worst calamity imaginable to a child: he becomes stranded far from home and family while it becomes increasingly obvious that the bear, the authority figure, is as lost as he is. So there's some anxiety and some sulking and some crossness. But there's also a burgeoning friendship borne from adversity which leads, eventually, to peace and tranquility.
You might wonder if the boy ever makes it over to ''the other side'', if the bear ever takes another passenger on the return journey, and even what happens to The Very Last Sandwich. Well, I shan't tell you. But I will say the ending is just perfect.
[[Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne]] is another slightly surreal fable that is an absolute joy to read. I think you might also like [[Lost Christmas by David Logan]] which makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
{{amazontext|amazon=0385618964}} {{waterstonestextamazonUStext|waterstonesamazon=85572010385752482}} {{toptentext|list=Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2012}} {{toptentext|list=The CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013}}
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