Bear

by Kiri Lightfoot

The powerful, humorous yet sensitive story of Jasper, a talented young artist, who learns to face his anger.

2025 Young Adult Book Award, New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
2024 Storylines Tessa Duder YA Award

'A darkly funny, haunting tale of finding a way through darkness to hope. A fresh and powerful take on an all-too-common teenage experience, this deftly executed story is both confronting and validating.'
NZCYA judges

'Tender and wickedly humorous - such an important story.' KAREN FOXLEE bestselling author of Lenny's Book of Everything

'Very funny, very well written and an accurate look into a teenager's changing world. Get it for your reading teen.' Linda Thompson, NZ Herald

'A must-read for teenagers. Dark, funny, and deeply unsettling, Bear is a book that crawls under your skin and stays there.' Imogen Gadd, Kete

'Wonderfully fresh and engaging.' Tessa Duder

Jasper Robinson-Woods is not okay — his name is too long, his mum has an annoying boyfriend, he never sees his dad, and he can't sleep because of a terrifying nightmare. Oh, and to top it off, his goldfish is dying.

Jasper is overwhelmed with bad thoughts. Are they a sign of disaster to come? The only place he feels safe is in the tree in his front yard.

But then the unimaginable his nightmare comes to life and everything spirals out of control. Jasper decides it's finally time to face his nightmare.

Bear is a moving, often laugh-out-loud funny story showing that even when you hit rock bottom, you never know what, or who, is around the corner.

Genres: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Coming Of Age, School, Realistic Fiction, Family

363 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thus is s lovely book but clad in darkness. I can see why so many love it, it speaks to the troubled souls of teenagers who doubt their place in the world and who are dealing with lots of change and uncertainty. It took me an absolute age to read. I started and stopped several times, often that means I’m not fully engaged and I think at times I got distracted by other shiny books and kept pushing this aside.

There are some bits that don’t quite work for me. Especially the relationship with the dad. But I did enjoy Jasper as a character and I liked watching him come through his terrible trials. Loved the illustrations too. This is one of those books that you’d love to thrust at kids that you know are going through tough times, but is it a good book for kids? Is it a great book for adults to Read about kids having a hard time? Not sure.

Overall a really nice book about a boy with terrible anxiety and overthinking. Would love to hear what actual kids think about it.

[Zac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Bear! It is an authentic, emotional story about a young teenage boy dealing with his anger and the things in his life that are out of his control. Kiri had me invested in Jasper’s character and hoping that things would improve for him. I loved watching his character develop and get better with the help of his school counsellor and his family.

[Stephanie Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read for a teenage boy struggling with their place in the world. I was hooked from page 1 and am going to recommend it to my English teachers.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasper is 13 and lives with his mum since his parents divorced several years ago. He misses his grandparents (who died not that long ago), his goldfish Han Solo is probably dying, and now his mother's boyfriend ("Manly Steve") is moving in with them. Things are not going well. And his recurring nightmares have started up again. Jasper is such a great character. Even when things are falling apart for him, there are pops of humour to make the reader smile. I totally loved this book. It feels very 'real', the characters are authentic and easy to empathise with, and the story moves along nicely to keep you turning the pages. Highly, highly recommended.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

There has been so much hype about this book and people telling each other how they love it that I feel like a real outlier as I struggled through it. I am glad I read it and in some ways the last third was better than other parts and how it will be a great read for people/teens who will be able to see themselves in the character of Jasper struggling with depression and how it manifests as anxiety and anger. However despite some well drawn characters and the believable evolution of the story, I think what really got me was that Jasper’s inner monologue (the book is written in a strong first person) feels like too young a voice for a 14year old (although as pointed out, that could be more of a result of the anxiety of Jasper).

[Fiona R · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute gem of a book, written with great care, sensitivity and humour.

Jasper is turning 14 and he worries about just about everything. He can’t sleep, his goldfish is on its last legs, he barely sees his dad, he hates his last name, he has no friends - and now his mother’s boyfriend is moving in.

As the tension builds in his life, the bear of his nightmares seems to come to life and takes over his actions. He loses control and becomes violent and destructive.

The writing is such that you can really feel the build up of tension and sense the angst of this troubled teenage boy. And yet, at the same time, Jasper’s voice is laced with humour and teen boy irony. It’s really very clever.

But what is really positive and comforting is that Jasper does start to make inroads into his negative thinking. He is a talented artist and that starts to feature and create success in his life; he starts to see a counsellor who provides an outlet for his worries; he makes a friend in art class; and he starts to come to terms with his absentee dad.

This feels like a very real story - full of despair and anger and pain, but also love and hope and humour.

There is some light profanity throughout, but it is in context and the story as a whole is too important to ignore on the basis of this.

[Paulibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jasper is 13: an age where nothing can worry you, your mate's kid around in class with you, and your parents are still not the ogres restricting your life. Your home is not a prison. Your pets are healthy. Except that none of this standard 13 stuff works for Jasper. The opposite is true; no real friends, grandmother is dead, parents divorced. Dad's a looney, whilst mum shifts her new man in. A manly man, to boot. Just as well there's a tree to climb in the yard. Not to mention the angry bear....which underpins everything else. What Jasper has is a faint vein of resilience running through him, coupled with an extraordinary artistic streak. To enable Jasper to see these positive character traits, and drown out a simmering anger, and thoughts of insanity, we have, in the form of a persistent art teacher and a frumpy school counsellor, an out. Well-laid-out and with great drawings in the margins, we have a new Kiwi teen to champion. Go Jasper!

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very different read for me. Jasper is 14 and battling lots of demons and anger issues and doesn't know how to manage his emotions but is an amazing artist. It would resonate with many teenagers who are managing separated parents, friendship challenges, school pressures, feeling neglected and being replaced by step family members. It was more of an emotional read rather than an "event" read. I think if a teenager is finding life tough at the moment they might get a lot out of the book.

[Fool-of-a-Took · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book, it's a wonderful story. The voice felt very authentic, and I enjoyed this 'into the characters head' idea, which I don't find much in the books I read.
The only people I wouldn't recommend those to are those who struggle reading about mental health, because, boy, does this book do a good job realistically representing it. I saw myself in these pages so many times, and I'm really glad a book such as this exists.

[Eden Raftopoulos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 but a high 3.5. I didn’t like the writing style. Pretty much every single one of the characters irritated me. There was no plot for a good chunk of it. But somehow it worked. It’s a very unique book, at least among the books that I’ve read. It’s on a subject matter that I almost never see represented in books and I think it would’ve made me feel much less alone when I was 13. It still did a little bit 6 years later.

[Gillian Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. Jasper is dealing with a lot of loss and a lot of confused anger. He makes mistakes and things do not resolve in a perfect ending, but there is some great guidance throughout the novel that helps him to see things he didn’t initially understand.
Enjoyed the journey.
Relatable for today’s young adults.

[Olivia Gutterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“i want to be here. i want to be here for all of it.” 😭🩷

bear is an excellent and remarkably accurate depiction of teenage mental health struggles. the book’s heavy themes are balanced out by having a most loveable protagonist, whose narration is filled with great humour, sarcastic wit, and genuine heart.

an easy but impactful read!! i strongly recommend giving bear a go, you won’t regret it 🫶

[Pippa Situ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was honoured to read 'Bear' early, as I did the illustrations for it! I am not the 'intended' demographic for this one and I still loved it. Jasper's inner voice pulled me right in, and his story felt so raw and relatable. Definitely going to be gifting this one to all the teens in my life!

[Timaru Boys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn in from the first page to Jasper's story. Didn't take the supernatural turn that I was expecting but a great story about growing up and not knowing your place in the world. Highly recommend for teenage boys. Funny and insightful.

[Nina Kayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER! MUST READ FOR ALL TEENAGERS!!!!

[Melanie Lindstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging read. It will resonate with teenagers.

[Izzy C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jasper felt more like a 10-12yr old rather than a teenager so I found it difficult to form a picture of him. Loved the counselor though. Nice to see school staff in a positive light.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book deals with important themes, although it is quite repetitive. More needed to happen - a lot of it was very slow and hindered by the protagonist’s extensive thoughts.

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit HARD!! Made me learn a lot about myself and what I am experiencing in this season of life with mental health etc. Highly recommend however this could be triggering for some people