Age Group: 12+ Years

Description:

Fifteen-year-old Cole Matthews is furious at the whole world — at his absent, abusive father, at his silent mother, and at a life he feels has cheated him. After brutally beating a classmate named Peter and leaving him permanently injured, Cole faces prison. Instead, he is offered Circle Justice, a Tlingit-inspired healing program that banishes him for a year to a remote, storm-lashed Alaskan island. Arrogant and unrepentant, Cole arrives certain he can outwit everyone — until a mysterious white Spirit Bear attacks him and leaves him close to death. Stripped of his rage and his strength, Cole begins a slow, hard-won journey toward responsibility, forgiveness, and healing — one that eventually draws in the very boy he hurt. Vivid, unflinching, and ultimately hopeful, this award-winning coming-of-age novel explores anger, redemption, and the possibility of change.