Spark and the League of Ursus: A Novel

League of Ursus #1

by Robert Repino

Toy Story meets Stranger Things in this epic tale of warrior teddy bears and the children they protect.

Spark is not your average teddy bear. She’s soft and cuddly, sure, but she’s also a fierce warrior. At night she fulfills her sacred duty: to protect the household from monsters. But Spark’s owner Loretta is growing up and thinks she doesn’t need her old teddy anymore.

When a monster unlike any other descends on the quiet home, everything changes. Children are going missing, and the monster wants Loretta next. Only Spark can stop it. She must call upon the ancient League of Ursus—a secret alliance of teddy bears who are pledged to protect their human friends. Together with an Amazon-princess doll and a timid sock monkey, the bears are all that stands between our world and the one that lies beneath. It will be a heroic chapter in the history of the League . . . if the bears live to tell the tale.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure, Fiction, Mystery

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2020

About the author

Robert Repino grew up in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. After serving in the Peace Corps (Grenada 2000–2002), he earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Emerson College. His fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize among other awards, and has appeared in The Literary Review, Night Train, Hobart, Juked, Word Riot, The Furnace Review, The Coachella Review, JMWW, and the anthology Brevity and Echo (Rose Metal Press). Repino is the pitcher for the Oxford University Press softball team and quarterback for the flag football team, but his business card says that he’s an Editor. His debut novel Mort(e), a science fiction story about a war between animals and humans, was published by Soho Press in 2015. His novella Leap High Yahoo was published as an Amazon Kindle Single later that year.

Reviews

[Dulcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle Grade Fantasy : ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

When monsters are real and they can take you in your sleep only your faithful teddy bear can save you!
- "We are the sworn protectors of this house. We serve goodness and truth. We give refuge to the innocent. We defend the light to the final light in times of darkness."

This story was unique in premise and sweet. Giving life to your favorite toy (a-la Toy Story) with a bit of twist that makes said toy your protector was sweet and honestly made me a bit sad that we must grow up. Though the book wasn't everything I wanted it to be it was lovely. I'll be buying a teddy and passing along a couple copies of this book to my local shelter.

[Christi M · Rating 3 out of 5]

When monsters come calling at night who is there to protect you? Why, your teddy bear of course! After all, all teddy bears are sworn to protect their house and those in it.

In Spark and the League of Ursus, Spark is a teddy bear loved by a girl named Loretta. Her brother, one year old, also has a teddy bear – Sir Reginald. Even though Spark knows about monsters, she has never seen one. So it quite a surprise when a monster appears in Loretta’s room threatening to take her. Spark acts fast to keep him away, but it leaves more questions than answers. What has happened to Sir Reginald? Why couldn’t she banish the monster outright? Does this have anything to do with a classmate that has gone missing? What do they do if it decides to return?

Within the course of the story, we get to know the Spark and Sir Reginald, her mentor, and the bears/protectors of Loretta and Matthew’s friends. What is interesting is how each of the protectors seem to take on quality and personality traits of their kids. But only one of them has ever seen a monster before so they all have to overcome obstacles one might face if you are confronted with something scary that you’ve never had to deal with before and learn how to work together before it’s too late.

In general, I think the concept is really cute. A lot of young kids love their stuffed animals and many have probably played make believe stories where their teddy bears have saved the day. On the other hand, because of the subject I can also see this being one that not every kid will gravitate toward, but that can be said for most books. Even though it is a cute concept for kids, I must admit I struggled with it as an adult reader since my head kept asking questions about how it all worked and why, but I am also not the target audience.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Quirk Books for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

[Lindsi (Do You Dog-ear?) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

When I first stumbled across Spark and the League of Ursus, I was so excited! Teddy bears that are alive and keep their children safe? Awesome! Toy Story was one of my favorite movies growing up (the third one still makes me cry), and it's one my monsters also enjoy. Unfortunately, this book left a lot to be desired. The story and characters lacked depth, and the details were vague and unsubstantiated. More often than not, the plot didn't make a lick of sense, and it frequently contradicted previously established facts. I really wanted to love this book, so I went into it with high expectations. I didn't expect weak world-building and confusing character origins.

In a nutshell, the teddy bears (and occasionally other toys) come to life whenever they are loved into existence by a child. From what I can tell, age doesn't really matter, and the toys can be passed from one person to the next without it affecting their aliveness. However, they're supposed to protect until the final light, and we're told how that could potentially happen, which means Sir Reginald the Brave should have ceased to exist the moment Dad put him in the attic. Instead, his son (Matthew) is gifted Sir Reginald years later. Spark is given to Loretta, and Sir Reginald teachers her about the job and what it means to be a teddy bear. Apparently, there are monsters and demons, but we only see Jakmal (more on that in a moment).

Things I want to know after reading this book:

1) Where do the teddy bears come from? How did the League of Ursus establish itself in the world? We see how the League of Ursus is formed (sort of), but there's very little information regarding how they expanded, which leads me to...
2) How did the teddy bears communicate with one another? They didn't write letters, make phone calls, or travel through underground tunnels, so how did the League talk to ALL of the living teddy bears around the world? It wasn't feasible.
3) Where do the stories come from? How are they passed down, if a teddy bear only starts living once they are given to a child? Sir Reginald was able to tell Spark, but if he started his existence once Dad loved him enough, then where did he get his stories? His information? How did he talk to the League?
4) Why is it mostly teddy bears, but occasionally other toys (sock monkey, princess)?
5) They "go where they are needed" the most? Where is that? Who knows that? How are they informed?
6) If they live "until their final light," how was Sir Reginald passed off at the end?
7) Now there are magical teddy bears? They're called hexens? How does that happen? How does it work?
8) Oh, now imaginary friends can be brought to life? They have no physical boundaries, because they emerged from a special child's imagination? WELL, THAT MAKES ABOLUTELY NO SENSE.
9) Why did Sophia insist Matthew change the ending of the movie they were all working on? Why did the hero need to discover the magic within themselves? Who told her this? How was it relevant? Did it impact the story in some way?
10) Why didn't Jakmal get to speak for himself?

There was hardly any resolution at the end, which FRUSTRATES ME GREATLY. The immediate conflict was resolved, and the children were saved, but they didn't actually "defeat" the evil monster. Additionally, the evil monster might not have been a bad guy, only someone that was wronged and misunderstood. According to the teddy bears, Jakmal was a creature of their own making, and I actually wanted him to succeed with his not-so-nefarious plans. If I were him, I would've been pissed and looking for a way out of my eternal hell as well, so I can't really fault him for his actions. He didn't hurt anyone, and it seemed like he just wanted a way to end the pain he was in (that doesn't mean I think it was okay for him to abduct children). UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF THAT WAS RESOLVED. The author doesn't even touch on what happened to him, or talk about how his story will end. I haven't heard anything about a sequel, which makes it worse.

Spark and the League of Ursus lacked character development, had way too many plot holes, and left me feeling like the story was unfinished. I liked the characters, but didn't connect with them. The information presented in this book was confusing and contradictory, and I wish the magical elements had been expanded on. You can't create something like this without also providing readers with a strong background, and a world with clearly defined rules. It also needs to be something that can be built upon, just in case there is more story to tell. Lastly, no resolution really chafes, and it's not something that I can easily forgive as a reader. (★★★☆☆)

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[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you know that your Teddy bear is your protector against monsters? Monsters that take children. That is the premise of this story in which siblings Matthew and Loretta's bears (also known as dusas); Sir Reginald and Spark battle evil.
Based on the cover and the first few chapters, I thought I had discovered the perfect fantasy book for younger readers. Not so much, Matthew and Loretta and their classmates are middle schoolers and the themes (coming of age, death and the afterlife, finding out your beliefs are grounded in lies, child disappearances)of the story skew older.
Give this to tweens and young teens who like battle fantasy.
This book was provided to me for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s not to like about teddy bears? They’re not something about which adults read much. That seems like a good reason to share their stories with kids. Robert Repino has already established himself (as I mention in my blog post Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) as an able writer about animals in human situations. His War with No Name series (Mort(e), D’Arc, and Culdesac) create believable animal-human characters caught in a time of trouble. Spark and the League of Ursus reprises the imaginative leap by bringing teddy bears (and a couple other childhood companions) to life.

The premise is what makes the book, however. Bears protect people. It’s what they do. And reading about how their soft, fluffy, bodies can take on monsters is the kind of stuff children like. We all become adults too soon and leave behind the things that were significant for our younger selves. At least we can still read about them.

The struggle here is a real-world problem: missing children. How they get to be missing I’ll leave unanswered so that you’ll read the book. Suffice it to say there are monsters involved. This is a fantasy tale and children are well equipped to read this kind of thing. There’s even some educational material tossed in. Written with a diverse set of humans, and an even more diverse set of stuffed animals, the story is one for our present time. And, if you’re an adult reading it, it’ll provide some smiles if you dare to remember when monsters were real.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

“[Repino] did not have the same ability to conjure stories in his mind.”

They ended up being one-dimensional, age-inappropriate, child-predator-sympathizing, derivative works of fluff. Covered in razor blades.

For ages 8 to 12.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spark is a teddy bear, sworn to protect her owner from the monsters that attack in the night. But when a truly powerful monster threatens the children of the house, it will take a special league of bears to fight off the monster.

This book was darker and scarier than I expected. The monster is really freaky, with scales, insect claws, pincers, horns, spider legs, and the head of a human. The monster wears a creepy medallion around its neck with a human head on it that comes to life. Even with all the gross descriptions of this monster, I can't quite picture it in my head. It's like half-human, half scorpion. Ugh.

At the beginning of the book, the monster has already kidnapped children. Much of the book is about the adults and children going in search parties to look for the missing kids, and putting up Missing Child posters around the town. It's heart-wrenching to see them grieving and anxious, barely sleeping and barely eating and fighting among themselves because the tension is so high. This is not a happy book.

I liked the writing style, but had problems with the way this story was organized. The pacing is awkward. There are a LOT of flashbacks and memories. And there are plot holes all over the place.

There are a lot of plot explanations, where a character explains to another character how something works, but we the reader are never told HOW that character got that information. They just magically know what is happening and explain it out of thin air. How could they possibly know that? Very frustrating.

The plot is full of convenient happenstances. Spark spends the entire book being so super careful that no humans could possibly see her moving around the house, and then at the end, Spark decides to just run past a group of humans and hope they don't notice. They see something blurry go past, but aren't sure what it was. Really? And they don't see her because...?? Because she ran so fast? How very convenient that suddenly humans are stupid and don't have eyes, even though Spark spent the entire book lumbering around like a slow clumsy teddy bear with no hint that she was secretly faster than the human eye.

There are multiple instances like this where the plot does not make sense, or contradicts previously established facts. I lost count of the times that something impossible happened which did not fit with the magic system that had been established, or that might have fit in this world but it was not explained how it fit. A lot of the story doesn't make sense.

There is very little resolution at the end. The immediate threat is resolved when the teddy bears succeed in scaring off the monster, and the missing children are found. But the monster isn't defeated. The monster is still around, and the bears are just waiting for the next attack. The monster also has an extensive backstory about how it was cursed, and it was hinted that the bears could find a way to lift the curse and save the monster and maybe make him good, but that storyline was never explored any further. I wonder if this will end up being a series, and the monster's story will be resolved later on.

I liked the characters, but I didn't really connect with them. All the elements of a good character were there for each of them, backstory, depth, personality, special interests, and relationships with the other characters. Then each character just sat there, moving through the story like robots. There was very little development or meaningful growth.

I think that a child reading this book would probably not notice the many plot holes or stale characters. There is enough of a good story and good characters there to keep your interest in the book. However, a child young enough to not notice the problems in the story, would also be young enough to get scared by the dark elements in the story.
The kidnapping feels much too real and frightening, and the descriptions of the monster are truly disgusting. I found it disturbing. A child young enough to be interested in a book about teddy bears would certainly find it terrifying.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are the sworn protectors of this house. We serve goodness and truth. We give refuge to the innocent. We defend the light to the final light in times of darkness. By the power bestowed upon us by the League of Ursus, We command you to be gone.

A spooky Toy Story book sounded like an adorable fall read and it was. Spark is a teddy bear who is sworn to protect her dusa - best friend/owner - from monsters. But then! Children start going missing and suddenly that promise is very real.

This book was a cute story about love, the power of creativity, the power of friendship, and family. I appreciated the disability rep and the talk about bullying - especially since it's a middle grade book. I think this would be a fun book to read during the spooky season with your kids - and then you can all make a movie!

I received this book from Quirk Books in exchange for review.

[Kal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge thank you to Quirk Books for my copy of Spark and the League of Ursus, what follows is my honest review!

The best way to describe this book is a cross between Toy Story and the movie Small Soldiers. Only unlike Toy Story, not all the toys come to life, only the ones that children truly bond with manage to come to life. But, no all the toys that come to life are protectors. There's a cute little sock monkey in this story who only has a little bit of courage.

Despite the comparison Spark and the League of Ursus stand as its own story. It's about the teddy bears that protect us from the monsters that hide in the dark, and for me, an older reader, it was a reminder of all the best parts of childhood. That fear of never letting your feet stick out from under the covers, jumping on the bed so the monsters under your bed can't grab at your feet, and curling up with my favorite bear during a storm, snug under all my blankets.

It was also a little bit creepy as well. I have to admit the Jakmal was creepy and I would not enjoy waking up to find something like that on my wall. Though, I think it's the right amount of scary a Middle Grade. There's the fear of losing a sibling and the monster you thought you saw and for Spark the fear of finding your way.

I really liked the way we learned about the League of Ursus as well, and about the family that Spark is protecting. It's all told through flashbacks, and I felt that fit into the story quite nicely and kept the story from slowing down. It also leads to the discovery of who the Jakmal is and kind of why it does what it's doing. Our monster isn't just doing this because it's a monster, but because it was sort of driven to it by one of the original members of the League.

For me, this felt like a perfect spooky bedtime story. I could see it being read aloud with voice, or read under your blankets with a flashlight, only to sleep with the lights on for the next couple of nights. Or, for us older readers, curled up on the couch.

The other part I really liked was the human aspect of this book. It's not just about Spark trying to save this family from the monster. You also see real emotions from the family as one of them goes missing. They struggle, but they never give up. I felt like seeing that through Spark had me rooting that they managed to save the day. It's one of the few times I had my fingers crossed for that happy ending.

Also! I cannot forget this because I thought it was really neat. The story does mention that the older people get the less they believe and can perceive magic and monsters. However, that doesn't mean they can't see the aftermath. I really like that few times got destroyed a few pages later a logical explanation of that damage was given. Things weren't just magically fixed when a monster destroys something, but it fixes the perception so adults don't question as anything but an accident. For example, the monster destroys one fo the family's cars, and the next morning a tree branch has fallen on the car. A logical explanation. I just through it was cool there was the little sidebar of why adults lose a belief in monsters.

All-in-all this was a really cute and spooky book. The perfect way to start off my Spooky Season reading!

This and other bookish post can be found on my blog, Bookish Whispers!

[Karly-Lynne (storybookcook) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spark offers a spooky and intriguing story about the secret lives of teddy bears who protect children from monsters, and I appreciated that it included disability representation, but it just didn’t work for me. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be stilted which made it difficult to become fully immersed in the story.

[Kassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty much everything I expected! I love the concept, and I love how serious everything is... even though they're teddy bears.

You can tell it's written by someone who normally writes adult fiction, but it was a good attempt at kidlit! It was a good one-time read.

[Ben Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I hear a book being touted as "Toy Story meets Stranger Things," I'm going to give it a shot. The problem with comparisons though is that they are not always accurate, and thus they can be misleading. Not always, but in this particular instance I was certainly hoping for more than what I actually got.

Safe. Simplistic. Bland. Meh.

Those are some of the words that come to mind when I think back on my reading of Spark. The further I get from it the more I feel disinterested by it. It's not a bad book by any means. The writing is adept, the story structure is sound, the background lore is interesting, and the characters are fairly dynamic. Yet, I never found myself fully invested in it whilst reading. And I'm still struggling to put my finger on exactly why.

Unlike Toy Story, I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of these characters. It has its poignant moments, but for most of the book I was just turning pages and my heart wasn't into it. And unlike Stranger Things, the monsters were less than terrifying and the action scenes less than gripping. It's hitting the right beats for the story, but not knocking them out of the park or do anything unique. I really enjoy YA horror, but this one wasn't nearly scary or profound enough for me to sink my teeth into.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Julia Orendorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not gonna lie, this was genuinely scarier than I thought it would be. Not in a bad way, and I would imagine not too intense for most kids. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[Gabriel (Gabriels_universe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this copy! Spark and the League of Ursus was such a fun book to read! I was hooked from the start, the main character Spark was my favorite because of how brave and smart she was. I loved how descriptive the author throughout the book. It had me turning the pages! This is definitely a book i would recommend to my friends and family!

[Layla Crowie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 stars.

A really great concept, with fantastic characters. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the bears and how they each took on the traits of their owners. I also enjoyed Spark's character development within the story from straight laced, naive bear to a born leader, bold and true. This is a very entertaining, at times dark, adventure that will lead the reader on a journey through fear, strife and bravery.

If I have any criticism at all, it would be that at times there were some unnecessary explanations which detracted from the story itself. This caused a paragraph to drag a little, and make it too trudgy, interrupting the flow.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spark seems like an ordinary teddy bear, until the lights are out and everyone is asleep - or until danger strikes. As a stuffed bear she is part of the League of Ursus and pledged to defend her dusa (the child who has loved her to life), Loretta. Spark's mentor, Sir Reginald, is the guardian of Loretta's older brother, Matthew When a mysterious creature begins carrying off children from their neighborhood, Spark and Sir Reginald go into action. As brave as they may be, can a few toys hope to defeat something that even adults can't fight?

This is a book that combines elements from many beloved stories. The toys come to life through the love of a child, much like The Velveteen Rabbit. They only move and talk to each other when no humans are around, or are asleep - like in "Toy Story." A nod to "Monsters Inc." has the defenders talking about monsters that feed on human fear. The children are involved in film-making contests and refer to favorite movies such as "Jaws" and "The Empire Strikes Back." The League of Ursus itself is a sort of gathering of knights like Camelot, out to defend the vulnerable and stand back to back against the darkness. In this case that darkness is after children with imagination, similar to the way the Emperor always wants to seduce away young Jedi to the dark side.

If you enjoy stories with a fantasy element, especially a secret world that wakes while we sleep, then try out the tale of Spark.

[Kid Lit Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spark and the League of Ursus is a modern-day monster story. The monster, Jakmal, is stealing children from the neighborhood, but only the protective juro understands.

First to go missing is Sofia, a friend of Loretta and her brother Matthew. Unknown to the two kids, they have some determined and skilled protection. Loretta has Spark, a teddy bear she received as a child. Matthew has Sir Reginald, an older bear who first belonged to Matthew’s father. The bears are duty-bound to protect their dusa (their child) from monsters under the bed, in the closet—or anywhere the creep finds a way into the bedroom. Matthew has grown beyond his teddy bear years, so Sir Reginald has been resigned to Matthew’s closet. Sir Reginald and Spark speak daily through the wall using taps. Three taps mean all is well.

Spark and the League of Ursus will entertain middle grade kids who enjoy animated toy stories, monster stories, and those curious enough to wonder how a teddy bear can fight a monster. We all had a bear when younger; mine was pink and had one eye missing. I have always wondered where that eye went. After reading Spark and the League of Ursus, I now know. (See, mom, there was a monster under my bed!)

Yes, there is fighting, yet the violence will not upset children or parents. There is also subtle humor in this fast-paced story. Jakmal’s world is creatively laid out and will get readers thinking about monsters whenever they spy old castles with drawbridges.

Spark and the League of Ursus will entertain middle grade kids who enjoy animated toy stories, monster stories, and those curious enough to wonder how a teddy bear can fight a monster. We all had a bear when younger; mine was

Spark’s story is cleverly created. The bears must learn how to use Dad’s tools and how to shoot off firecrackers. Compared to Jakmal, all the toys are tiny in comparison, giving Jakmal a great advantage in height, weight, and muscle-capacity. The bears of Ursus do not fret, instead they look for advantages and then exploit those for all they are worth.

There is a small disagreement involving Spark and his mentor Sir Reginald. When the older bear returns, he tries to take command, as he always had, but Spark is not giving up her new position. Spark is coming into her own when she decides to call for a juro. If there is a choice between rescuing Matthew—which Sir Reginald feels duty-bound to do—or protecting Loretta, Spark intends to protect his dusa.

Spark and the League of Ursus is a fun, gently scary story of brave bears most all of us had as kids. The only way to find out all your teddy bear endured to keep you safe, is to read this fast-paced energetic story. Spark and the League of Ursus will not disappoint!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking FOr a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5

I'm don't remember what it was about this book that caught my interest but it was a really enjoyable read.

Every child knows the comfort of a teddy bear, especially against the monsters under the bed, but few people know that teddy bears have a league (the League of Ursus) in which the teddy bear is the defender of the home and children in the house. Against all manner of closet monsters and under-the-bed creatures, the teddy bear is charged with protecting his family. But monsters come in all shapes and sizes and when a monster of a new sort comes into the home - a sort that brings local police - the teddy bear Spark will do all she can to protect the child who loved her to life.

Despite having an initial attraction to request this book, I also had some hesitation. I've had a few bad experiences reading books about teddy bears in the past few years so I was a bit gun-shy. But immediately author Robert Repino sets the stage for this hidden world of active teddy bears and I was hooked.

Spark is a young teddy bear and this really works well. In addition to making this character more relate-able to the young reader, it is a clever means to provide the reader with more background information. Spark is facing something pretty fierce, so she calls upon her mentor, Sir Reginald, who is able to offer some perspective and advice, which fill sin a lot of back story.

The subject matter here is actually pretty intense, and the teddy bears can be awfully fierce, but ... they're teddy bears. How can we feel too terrified when we're talking about teddy bears?

There is a lot about this book that should really appeal to some middle graders. I can't help but wonder if the fact that these are teddy bears will make this seem too 'childish' for some of the readers while the subject is a little too strong for the younger, teddy bear-aged readers.

Looking for a good book? Spark and the League of Ursus by Robert Repino is an action-packed, dark fantasy for young readers. Be prepared to talk to your child about some of the themes after reading this.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever seen that meme with a teddy bear standing over a sleeping child, challenging a looming monster? If you have, you've got the basis for Spark and the Legends of Ursus. Spark and Sir Reginald are teddy bears, pledged to protect their now-tween children, Loretta and Matthew, from monsters. Sir Reginald is the elder bear and mentor to Spark, the one who introduced her to the League of Ursus - the secret society of teddy bears, sworn to protect. Things are dire when a monster shows up in Loretta's room, and when a neighborhood girl goes missing. Spark and Sir Reginald are determined to protect their charges, but find themselves up against a terrible evil that they need help battling. Additional League of Ursus members, a sock monkey, and Amazon warrior princess doll are all that stands between the monster and the children of their neighborhood.

This is an exciting, heartfelt adventure book that embraces our love of teddy bears. Their gentle natures belie the fact that they are bears, who can be pretty ferocious! The story also looks at the love between a toy and a child - in this universe, a toy doesn't "awaken" until it's loved by a child - and how that changes as the child gets older and finds less time for their toys. If you have Toy Story fans, and readers of books like Brian Lynch's Toy Academy series, that are ready for a more involved book, this is the book to give them. Spark is a wonderfully idealistic, eager young character, waiting to be called upon for her moment; Sir Reginald is a world-weary warrior with much to pass along to his student. Loretta and Matthew are burgeoning filmmakers with their own YouTube channel, so there's some filmmaking tidbits here and there that could link up nicely with some Summer Reading programming involving filmmaking, maybe on a cell phone.

Spark and the League of Ursus is a good first fantasy novel to give to readers who are looking for something new, and a good fantasy novel to give to readers who may need that reassurance that it's still okay to love a teddy bear. (I do.) Have Stranger Things fans? Give them this one, too - that monster can surely come from The Upside Down.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The League of Ursus series. I got this book from the publisher to review.

Story (3/5): This is a well done middle grade book about stuffed animals that keep their children safe. I am not completely sure what age group this is aimed at. The writing and story were very simple and it's about sentient stuffed animals, but all of the kids in here are middle grade or older and there are some scenes that are pretty scary...so I am guessing it's an easy middle grade read. While I didn't find this book to be all that unique, it was well written and provides a decent mystery. It is very obviously the beginning of a series.

Characters (3/5): I felt like none of the characters were really all that filled out, they were pretty simple two dimensional characters. I did enjoy the kids more; Loretta and her brother were interesting kids...however, the focus of the story really isn’t on them but on their stuffed teddy bears.

Setting (4/5): The book takes place in Loretta’s house where Spark and the other stuffed animals dwell. The setting is not the focus of the book. Although, you do end up through a portal into a different place for a brief portion of the book. This was interesting and hopefully will feature in future books.

Writing Style (4/5): This book is easy to read and written at a much lower reading level than most middle grade books. It reads more like a children’s book but features preteen-aged characters. I did find it a bit dry at times and wished there was more humor.

My Summary (3.5/5): If you are into the whole sentient stuffed animals/toys theme I would recommend this book. Just keep in mind this is a pretty simple story written at a pretty low reading level. I would also recommend "The Stuff of Legends" series, which is a graphic novel series with the same theme but with a lot more depth to it. I feel like “The Stuff of Legend” series lends itself to a wider age group range.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wanted this book to be more funny than it actually was, but still, it's a fun romp with a sword-wielding teddy bear against monsters under (or over!) the bed.

The League of Ursus protects its children. Once a bear is loved by a child, it awakens and lives to shield them from monsters. That's what happened when Spark was given to Loretta. Same with Zed, the sock monkey, but he's more of a scaredy-cat than a warrior.

Spark's mentor, the handed-down and dignified Sir Reginald, has instructed her in how to protect her child. All is well until a nightmare escapes from a portal into Loretta's closet. Spark can't defeat it -- but she does manage to fend it off and out of Loretta's room. But the monster is hunting children. Others have gone missing in recent weeks. And there's another child in the house.

Even with Sir Reginald's sword, Spark can't stop it from taking Loretta's 14-year-old brother Matthew through the portal. Sir Reginald knows his child is still alive because he hasn't…well, stopped being alive. Which reveals the fate of most bears when their children grow up -- they stop being alive. It's almost more than Spark can…bare.

It takes a day for the family to discover Matthew is missing. In her grief and confusion, Loretta decides to finish a film the siblings started as a way to be closer to her missing brother. She invites several other girls to the house to film it, and Spark meets up with the girls' protectors -- including a polar bear named Ozzie and Rana, an Amazon Princess doll.

It's against the League of Ursus to show yourself to your child. But Spark may have no choice if she's going to rescue Matthew and keep Loretta safe.

I won't spoil the ending. Enjoy!

Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?

Visit my blog, The Fabric of Words, for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

[Teri B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about teddy bears and monsters in the closet and elsewhere. It is a book about family and siblings and friendship. But mostly, it is about teddy bears, as Spark, the main character in this tale is a teddy bear and so there for the girl, Loretta, she has bonded with quite a while ago.

Another kid has disappeared in town and when Loretta's brother goes missing overnight, the search turns frantic and Spark has to step in and get all the resources she can get in order to help solve the crisis.

The story runs between realistic and fictional moments, mixing the two together in places. For possibly the first half of the book, it was not clear to me for where the story was meant to go to, but then, it took off.

I enjoyed reading this story and was, specially in the second half, glued to my chair when all of a sudden the action picked up and up and up. Who knew teddy bears could be that fierce and inventive and feisty and have such a strong code of honour.

This story holds also a lot of representation that I found very well done. To name but a few, teddy bears, siblings, family, crisis, physical impairment, dealing with bullying, friendships, kids as film makers.

I possibly will return to this book later this year and do a reread, as I feel this is a story that needs to settle, and possibly can be better appreciated in a second or third read.

This review refers to an eARC I received from the publisher via Netgalley. All views expressed are my own.

Please check for trigger warnings. This book touches down with some quite scary moments. On the other hand, this book might be fantastic to talk about an experienced trauma.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Spark and the League of Ursus

Author: Robert Repino

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: fantasy fans, middle grade readers

Publication Date: April 21, 2020

Genre: MG Fantasy

Recommended Age: 12+ (some scary and creepy moments)

Publisher: Quirk Books

Pages: 192

Synopsis: Spark is not your average teddy bear. She’s soft and cuddly, sure, but she’s also a fierce warrior. At night she fulfills her sacred duty: to protect the household from monsters. But Spark’s owner Loretta is growing up and thinks she doesn’t need her old teddy anymore.

When a monster unlike any other descends on the quiet home, everything changes. Children are going missing, and the monster wants Loretta next. Only Spark can stop it. She must call upon the ancient League of Ursus—a secret alliance of teddy bears who are pledged to protect their human friends. Together with an Amazon-princess doll and a timid sock monkey, the bears are all that stands between our world and the one that lies beneath. It will be a heroic chapter in the history of the League . . . if the bears live to tell the tale.

Review: Overall this was a good horror book for littles who like stories that go bump in the night. The story was intriguing and kept me hooked. The whole book has a "Among The Sleep" feel to it and I liked the cheesy teddy bear we had as a companion.


However, I did feel like the book had underdeveloped characters and world building. Additionally, it also felt too cheesy for me and a bit too scary for the target demographic.

Verdict: It’s great!

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is one of those stories that tells the tale of how teddy bears protect their family, or their child, when they are sleeping or when they can't see them. This one, however, is a little more brutal and scarier than some of them.
In this tale, Spark along with a few others are guardians of their home. Spark guards her girl Loretta and Sir Reginald her brother. Recently children are going missing from their rooms at night and the bears are getting a little worried. When something really bad happens, Spark is left to call upon the power of the ancient League of Ursus. This is a secret alliance of Teddy Bears that have pledged their support to help to protect their friends. This goes far beyond just a little tale of teddy bears and a little monster under the bed. This is big and scary and very bad things are about to happen. Can the bears and their friends save the world?
I thought this book was sort of cute but I'm not sure it's for the little kiddos out there. I don't know exactly what age you'd want to have read this. I would say it depends on the child perhaps? There was a certain part or two that I might have considered shedding a tear and another part where I thought, "Ewww" and did the cringey face but I'm a teddy bear sentimentalist so take that all with a grain of salt. I'd say give it a read and then decide if it's age appropriate for whatever age you're aiming for. That's probably the best way for it.

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Spark and the League of Ursus” follows Spark, who is a teddy bear, in her adventure to save her ursa’s (owner) brother from a monster. When the book starts, a neighborhood kid has already disappeared. Everyone thinks she is just missing, but Spark and her mentor know better after encountering a monster in their house. Eventually, Loretta’s (her owner) brother Matthew also goes missing. Spark and her friends have to figure out a way to get Matthew back!

Overall, this was a decent read! However, it had quite a darker tone than I imagined it would. The monster and his world were almost demonic? It was half human, horns, a necklace with a head on it. I get that it’s supposed to be this scary monster, but like I said, the demonic aura of this character was noticeable. Another thing that stood out to me was in the very beginning of the book, Loretta used “OMFG” while talking to her mother. Weird because this is the only time throughout the entire story that she acted or talked in such a way. There were also a handful of holes within the story related to background. Characters know things that are never explained fully and, like Loretta, characters act out of character. Overall, it was good and I would recommend it to read.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this expecting something far less intense than what this book is, and that's definitely not a bad thing. From minute one there's a huge amount of action, and it never stops which I absolutely love. A gem of a middle grade book, cute and easy to follow but also packed with action and adventure. It's adorable, which I expected from the synopsis, but at the same time there's something sinister about it, hitting basic human fears.

Most of these kind of books don't go below surface level feelings, but this... I wasn't sure how far it would go. I'm astonished by the fact that the characters seem actually fleshed out despite it being from the viewpoint of an extremely unreliable narrator. The characters are fun, Loretta is a really awesome one despite not having a ton of screentime, and all the bears are so cool!

All in all, one that I'd recommend to a lot of my friends who like middle grade books, the action never stops and the whole thing is so cute and fun at least in the end of it all.

[Tristan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Spark and the League of Ursus, teddy bears take an oath to protect children. When a monster appears in Loretta's bedroom, around the same time a local girl named Sofia and a teddy bear named Sir Reginald go missing, one bear - Spark - must bravely embark on a quest to find and save them.

This book is a fun mix of Toy Story meets Stranger things - two things my kids and I absolutely love. I read this book with my sons, ages 10 and 5, and we all enjoyed it immensely!

Thank you NetGalley, Quirk books and Robert Repino for the digital copy of Spark and the League of Ursus in exchange for my honest review.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had such high expectations for this book. I just love the concept and have read a few similar type books before.

It was cute, but didn’t quite reach my expectations. The first 40% of the book was just.. I don’t know, nothing was really happening. When we finally met one of the other main characters we starting getting some League lore and backstory which was super interesting. Things really picked up from there. For the rest of the book the pace was pretty good and it had some surprising depth at times for a teddy bear story, which was really nice.

[Elizabeth Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this title via NetGalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.
A beautiful story about monsters, growing up, friendship, and bravery from an unsuspecting place. I finished this book in one day as I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Anyone who had (or for our younger audience has) a stuffed animal best friend who helped them fight the monsters under their bed will immediately connect with the story. It also lets us know how far they will go to protect their children and how they feel about them getting older.

[Laci Hargis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed "Spark and the League of Ursus" by Robert Repino. It had amazing touches throughout the book that kept you interested. The heroic aspect stood out to me because it emphasized helping others. The storyline has sad and happy parts. I was excited that Spark and the toys did protect Loretta and that they lived to tell the tale. I think it would be great for grades 3-5. I wouldn't change anything about the book. Especially loved the ending!