The Bears' House

by Marilyn Sachs

Everybody in Fran Ellen’s class knows her name. They know that she sucks her thumb and that she smells bad. But they don’t really know anything important about her.
They don’t know that she lives in two houses. One is with her brothers and sisters and sick mother. There is no father in that house, and nobody to take care of the children. Everything is sad and dismal, except for Fran Ellen’s baby sister, Flora, whom she loves best in the world. To keep Flora, Fran Ellen has to lie about that house.
The other house that Fran Ellen lives in is the Bears’ House. Most of the kids think it is only a dolls’ house. For Fran Ellen it is a real house, bright with fun and laughter. In that house Mama Bear cooks and cleans and gives Fran Ellen a beautiful dress with red and yellow flowers. In that house Papa Bear holds Fran Ellen on his lap when she feels unhappy. There is Baby Bear in the Bears’ House, and Goldilocks too. They give Fran Ellen the best birthday party she ever had.
Nobody really knows anything important about Fran Ellen. Only that she sucks her thumb, and smells bad.

Genres: Childrens, Novels, Chapter Books, Fiction, Middle Grade, Family, Realistic Fiction

78 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1971

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marilyn Sachs' 1971 middle grade novel The Bears' House prominently features a dollhouse which is located at the back of main protagonist and first person narrator Fran Ellen Smith's fourth grade classroom (and that inside reside toy figurines of Goldilocks and the Three Bears). But while the dollhouse is thus basically a toy, for Fran Ellen (who at the age of almost ten still constantly sucks her thumb, is bullied and often being told that she smells due to this by her generally cruelly uncaring classmates) it represents oh so much more, that it is a haven, a refuge, a source of love and an escape from the harsh reality that is her and her family's life, how when in The Bears' House she in her imagination enters the dollhouse to interact with Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but especially with Mama and Papa Bear, Fran Ellen Smith can at least for a while pretend that her life is a bit easier. But just to point out that what Sachs textually provides thematics and contents wise in The Bears' House, this is also not ever simply a story of a child drifting off into a world of sweet and delightful make‐believe playing with a dollhouse, that with Mama and Papa Bear representing the family life Fran Ellen no longer has, this tends to increasingly become more and more concrete for her than what is actual reality (so that by the end of The Bears' House, there is a really precarious feeling of Fran Ellen no longer being able to really all the time distinguish between what is real and what is her imagination and her constant wishful thinking).

Now The Bears' House and Marilyn Sachs' text show that Fran Ellen is one of five siblings of a disrupted and dysfunctioning home, with an absent father (who simply took off one day) and a depressed, often bedridden mother, and where the older children, where Fletcher, Florence and Fran Ellen are trying to make do, are attempting to take care of their depressed mother, the house and also the younger children, five year old Felice and seven month old Flora without the authorities becoming aware of this, so that they will not be split up and put into foster care (and with Fran Ellen really really loving Flora, considering her sister as being "her" baby and thus also working tirelessly with her older brother to keep up the facade that everything is fine, that they are basically a typical family), but that realistically so (and with especially adult I appreciating this) Sachs in The Bears' House clearly and poignantly showing how the Smith siblings' decision to care for themselves is ultimately futile, that it is discovered by Fran Ellen's teacher how all is not well (and that Mrs. Thompson needs to contact the authorities since Flora is ill and obviously needs a doctor, that all of the children need care, adequate food and more than just Kool Aid as beverages).

And finally with regard to the open and totally non existent ending for The Bears' House (where we do not at all know what will now happen to Fletcher, Florence, Fran Ellen, Felice and Flora, if they will be split up and placed into different foster families, although this does seem the most likely outcome, how Fran Ellen will react to all of this, that everything is definitely left completely up in the air and like a major cliffhanger so to speak by Marilyn Sachs), yes, this certainly underlines how The Bears' House is shattering and absolutely painful, that Sachs painfully but necessarily demonstrates with The Bears' House family dysfunction that is not simply made better by the end of the book (something that I value, but that I would also not be wanting especially sensitive middle grade readers to be encountering The Bears' House without some discussion). Five stars especially from adult me for The Bears' House, but lowered to four stars, since I really do not like Louis Glanzman's accompanying black and white artwork (which to my eyes often looks almost parodistic and caricature like) and that The Bears' House would for me be so so so much better without any illustrations (or at least without these particular ones).

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for the recommendation on this Homeschoolmama—it was so bittersweet! Nearly ten year old, Fran Ellen Smith, is trying to hold her family together and conquer her own faults while enduring constant bullying from her schoolmates and misunderstanding from her teacher. She uses her imagination and the three bears who live in a doll house at the back of her school room to help her. Although a work of fiction, the basis of the story was an event in the author’s life when her own mother got sick for a year and a doll house given by a sympathetic teacher was her solace. I read it in a single sitting, couldn’t put it down. Sachs writes with such tender understatement, handling a very heavy subject with the lightest of touches. Just beautiful!

[S. Wigget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a kid, and it's one of those books that leave quite an impression. The protagonist has no school friends, which I related to. Dysfunctional family was also something I related to, though hers was different. I enjoyed how she uses her imagination to escape in the dollhouse.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the birth of her last child, Mrs. Smith succumbs to depression and mental illness. One day, Mr. Smith leaves his wife and five children; the oldest child is twelve and the youngest is just a few months-old. Fran Ellen, a fourth-grader, finds solace in thumb-sucking and in the bear’s house at the back of Miss Thompson’s classroom. She takes her math book home so that she can be the first one finished each day. This gives her time to lose herself in the fantasy world of the three toy bears that inhabit the house. For those few minutes, the bears come alive. Fran Ellen can sit on Papa Bear’s lap or get a hug from Mama Bear. These imaginary friends give her comfort and help her deal with the bullying at school and the drama at home.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was strangely obsessed with this book in elementary school

[Jennie Louwes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for tweenagers; perhaps, best read by a teacher to his/her students. 4th grade on up.

A read all teachers, themselves, should take to heart too.

Not everything is as it seems. Don't judge others without knowing their story. Don't pick on people just because they're different; instead, seek to understand, find out and know why they're the way they are.

A heart-wrenching read; and, a book without a proper end. It showcases fortitude, resilience, coping mechanisms; strategy, survival, mental illness, and the bonds of siblings within a family.

With such an open ending, left with so many unanswered questions, there's only one ending that my 10 year old daughter spoke aloud that made us feel better about it all: "The teacher said she'd get them help and make it all better. Maybe she gets medical care for the Mom and the baby. Then, while the mom and baby are getting better, the teacher watches over the other kids until the Mom can come back and care for everyone properly again. That way, the family stays together. That's the most important thing of all."

That is the most important thing of all: Family.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems to have been provoking a lot of discussion lately on my GR feed, so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. Well-written and authentic, it gives voice to the young people who are ignored and so often slip through the cracks.

THE BEARS' HOUSE will no doubt have you casting back uncomfortable memories to the poor, troubled kids in your classroom, how they were most likely ostracized, and what their lives outside of school may have been like. The book also demonstrates how kids can take cues from teachers in their bullying/ostracism (and vice versa), how clueless adults can be sometimes--and most importantly, how they can do better.

The ending is hopeful, but not idealized, which is both a departure from most junior novels and a welcome dose of realism.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library multiple times in elementary school. I don't recall why I loved this sad book so much, but it was one of my favorites from my early reading days.

[Miss Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh good gravy, I'd forgotten how depressing this book was until I re-read it. That's not to say that the book isn't worth reading, because it completely is. While reading it in my late mid-thirties, I was struck by how well Sachs handles a child's perception of hard-core themes like ostracism, bullying, abandonment, and depression. The last few sentences are more sob-inducing than anything I've ever seen on the Lifetime or Hallmark channels and they won't even stimulate your gag reflex! I remember finishing this as a young, impressionable elementary schooler and thinking, "And then....?" Y'all, no one, NO ONE does an "And then...?" ending quite like Sachs can. If you don't believe me, try reading The Bears' House with a chaser of A Pocket Full of Seeds. I triple dog dare you not curl up and go to that dark, dark place inside your head.

Nota bene: I can't remember if I was impressed by the sequel, Fran Ellen's House, or not. I smell an interlibrary loan request coming. Also, reading this reminded me of Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy, but without the creepy dolls.

[Megan Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this story hits very close to home. With adopted brothers, I understand that their life before they came to our home was not very good. It was dirty, messy, and full of pain. My heart broke for the characters in this story constantly. I recognized after hearing the responses of my peers, that my life experience gave me a different view of the story than my peers. This is an incredible story for many reasons, but the biggest one is that my heart would ache a day after hearing some of the tougher chapters of this story. I hurt for Fran Ellen long past the time that the last sentence of the chapter was read aloud.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in 3rd grade. It was my teachers book and a big deal for me. I love this book to this day. This book both made me fall in love with reading it also caused me to commit my first crime. I stole this book from my teacher because I loved it so much. I told her later on and she laughed. Amazing book. I recommend it to anyone:)

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is so sad. I felt so badly for the children. It ends abruptly and could have been fleshed out more. I'm not sure how I feel about this book or if I'll keep this copy in my library. I think the topics in it: clinical depression, abuse, neglect, bullying behavior, and a teacher unable to stop it are too intense for the intended age group.

[fpk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young, neglected girl finds refuge in her pretend world in The Bears’ House . Short, excellent children’s book.

[Britni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic in a “childish” way with a unique perspective. I was captivated and heartbroken for the entire read.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally read this book when I was in fifth grade. My teacher had it on a cart in the back of the room and I'm sure I picked it up because the cover looked nice. It's one that I have thought about frequently since then but have never read again until now. There was not much I remember from the first time I read it other than they feed the baby kool-aid and that she puts herself into the bears house, but what I did remember was how it made me feel. Over time my interests in reading have expanded, I try not to pick a book out solely by its cover, but I still do gravitate towards books that aren't a happy story but rather teach you about a different way of life, and I feel this is the book that really started an appreciation for those types of books for me. It was really interesting reading this story for a second time as I was trying to read it for the story itself but also trying to understand why this book was so important to my 11 year old self and why it stayed with me for so long. I think it's that this story showed me such a clear picture of how other people can live, that not everyone has an easy or happy life. Mostly, I was worried the book wouldn't resonate so well with my adult self and that it would feel like just another quick and shallow children's novel. It didn't though, it made me feel just as much as I remember from the first time I read it.

[Lizzie Streveler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book again this semester alongside Fran Ellen's House. I think this is a great book to read to students because it is real about tough topics in life (mentally ill family member, low socioeconomic, struggling to have food, kids taking care of kids, father abandonment, bullying). These are topics students typically do not discuss and many educators shy away from discussing. However, educators should not sugarcoat the realities of society. Students need to hear the struggles so prevalent in families across America. I love how it uses Fran's imagination as an escape from reality. Despite the great literary qualities of this book, this story in general may be great for students to just hear they are not alone in these struggles. It is also great to teach other students who may not be aware of these issues and give them a more cultured and rounded perspective in life. Also, the ending of this book is abrupt and unsettling for some readers. Students are used to reading books with happy endings. I think this book would be a good change of pace for most students. The ending of the book could cause for great discussion.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazon Book Description:
Everyone in Miss Thompson's fourth grade class loves The Bears' House- Fran Ellen Smith most of all. When Fran Ellen goes into The Bears' House, she can forget about how awful things are at home. At the end of the term Miss Thompson is giving the house away to someone in the class. Fran Ellen knows it won't be her? How is she going to get along without a place to hide?"

Superb characterizations and uncommonly skilled writing draw the reader completely into the realities and fantasies of Fran Ellen's world and make this funny, touching story essential reading." ~Library Journal

[Julia Coston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me many feelings. I was angry, sad, confused, empathetic, and understanding. I was rooting for the Fran Ellen and her siblings throughout the whole book, I wanted them to not get split up. I wanted to help her in every way I could think of, but I felt so helpless. This book really gets the reader thinking about what is really happening in the homes of students and peers. It makes the reader realize the importance of getting to know one another and not judging a book by its cover. The representation in this book can really help children to realize how different or similar other children's lives are the theirs.

[Michael Beblowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short novel about a young girl who detaches from the bleak conditions of her impoverished childhood, her social alienation and her clinically depressed mother who refuses to leave her bed, by imagining that she is safe and loved by the goldielocks doll and bear family in her teacher's dollhouse. There is an equally depressing sequel for anyone curious about what happens in the aftermath of "the Bear's House."

[Alexandra Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was read to me in college at Indiana Wesleyan University as a read aloud. During our discussions we talked about Multiculturally critiquing books by diversity and range of representation, avoidance of stereotypes, language considerations, and perspective of the book. All were talked about and discussed in our classroom. This book would be a wonderful way to engage the class in a read aloud.

[Hannah Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Even though it is older, it is definitely still relevant today. This book deals with poverty and depression head on. The author tackles these deep issues with grace and in a way that young students can understand. The reader learns to love Fran Ellen and sympathize with her family through their struggle. We are able to see her internal struggle of having to be a caregiver while also still growing up herself. I would definitely use this book in my classroom!

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of a girl who copes with her rough life by using her imagination to escape into a doll house.

The first person narration really sounded like a child, and that authentic voice made this book especially powerful.

My only wish was that there was more to the story. The end was well done but I found myself so invested in Fran Ellen and Flora and Fletcher that I needed to be assured that everything worked out in the end.

[Geebowie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this book in school when i was in about 4 fourth grade. I do not recall my thought on it back then. As an adult reading now i thought it was okay. It was sad and maybe it should have been written for a slightly older readers because i thought it was too short and could have fleshed out the story more.

[Amanda Schwind · Rating 5 out of 5]

My college education class read this book. As a future educator, I was heartbroken and lived in the story alongside FranEllen. Even so, I loved this book for me more so than I think I would for the sake of my students. If you are trying to introduce the reality of poverty and its effects to your students, though, this would be a marvelous way to do so.

[sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke my heart. It was told with such kindness and care. It's told by the point of view of Fran Ellen a girl with family problems, and she deals with these problems by escaping into the Bear house. The Bear house is kept at the back of the The Teacher's classroom. When Fran Ellen can, she goes and sits in front of the Bear house and.... she goes in.

[Katie Penzenik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great example of contemporary realistic fiction! Allows the reader to relate in many different ways. It honestly portrays the realities of life for today’s children, illuminates problems and issues of growing up, deals with controversial topics, and helps children enlarge their personal points of view and develop appreciation for other cultures that are different from their own.

[Kirsten Brooks]

The Bears House is a good read aloud for students. The character is relatable but also some of the trials that she goes through may seem out of the ordinary for students in today's society. The book stays away from stereotyping and has storylines that are evident in today's society such as mental health and divorced parents.

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend having "The Bear's House" in any elementary library because it addresses many issues that students face. This book is also ideal for pre-service teachers as it shows what it takes to be a truly caring teacher that steps forward to help her students.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on the shelf at my library and remember reading other books of her so I picked it up. WOW. Horribly sad, reminiscent of my elementary days being bullied, and dysfunctional family to boot. Quick read that I would recommend as a class read.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frankly, as a kid I was very confused by this book. Now that I'm older... I'm actually MORE confused. How does the house thing actually work? Is it her imagination or does she actually like go inside it? And the ending makes literally no sense.