Product Description

A Dramatic Tale of Grizzlies and Gold

Fourteen-year-old Cloyd Atcitty has been skipping school for years. He's run away from a group home for Native American boys, and is now being sent to work for Walter Landis, an old rancher on an isolated Colorado farm.

In a cave above the ranch, Cloyd finds a turquoise carving of a bear. Knowing that his people, the Utes, have a special relationship with bears, he keeps the small stone, hoping it will bring him strength. A terrible blow-up with Walter ends in near disaster, but the old man offers Cloyd one last chance: they'll ride together into the mountains to reopen Walter's abandoned gold mine. Among the high peaks that harbor Colorado's last grizzlies, Cloyd's courage and loyalty will be tested to the limit.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95077 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Review
"A highly appealing story" -- -Booklist

"A must purchase!" -- -Voya

"Powerful ... far above other coming-of-age stories" -- School Library Journal

Review
School Library Journal, starred reviewFar above other coming-of-age stories.

Voice of Youth Advocates, 5Q 5P reviewBearstone is destined to achieve the status of Hinton's Tex.... This story has something for everyone....

About the Author
Will Hobbs is the award-winning author of many popular adventure stories for young readers, including Bearstone and Beardance. His picture book, Beardream, illustrated by Jill Kastner, is a companion to these novels. Seven of his novels have been chosen by the American Library Association as Best Books for Young Adults. A graduate of Stanford University and former language arts teacher, he lives in Durango, Colorado, with his wife, Jean. Longtime backpackers and river runners, they have spent many years exploring the mountain and canyon settings of Will's stories.

To learn more about the author and his books, visit Will's Web site at www.WillHobbsAuthor.com.

Customer Reviews

Overall, An Interesting Book

Cloyd Atcitty has a problem. His poor attitude and rebellious nature have contributed to school and tribal expulsion for this Native American boy. When he is sent by his tribe to live in Colorado, however, a new chance at life unfolds. It remains to be seen whether he can control his impulsive actions enough to make a new beginning.

During the time he spends with an elderly white rancher, Cloyd exhibits positive and negative personality traits. The reader has insight into Cloyd's thoughts, especially the fears he carefully hides from others. Some fascinating Native American traits are brought forth, for example, the practice of pointing with the lips instead of the finger or hand (rude).

As an adult reading Bearstone, I often felt frustrated with Cloyd's character because he was immature and reactionary. The scene that describes Cloyd's petulant destruction of twenty-two of the rancher's peach trees by chainsaw was particularly infuriating. If this was real life and I was the rancher, I would have gladly sent Cloyd home never to return. In the book, Cloyd does get sent back to the reservation, but he returns, apologizes, and is accepted back by the rancher. This had to happen for the rest of Cloyd's personal growth to occur, but I felt it stretched the believability of the book.

Despite this, I felt warmth toward this story, perhaps because Cloyd's character was significantly flawed yet lovable. The description of the Colorado Rockies was beautifully rendered. Several hunting scenes were graphic, but necessarily so to convey their impact on the peaceful Cloyd. This depiction was in stereotypical keeping with the view of Native Americans as nature worshipping sages, yet it was not insulting.

Bearstone was written in 1989, before the term `Indian' was viewed as politically incorrect.

Bearstone
Bearstone
By Will Hobbs
Published by Avon Camelot
Copyrighted in 1989

The main character name is Cloyd. The goal of the Cloyd was to have a home. The old man's love helped the character find his goal. The outcome is that the Cloyd start to live with the old man.
The setting is in Utah, on a mountain near the old man's ranch. It is true to life.
Cloyd is a person that likes to keep thing to himself. He can sometime get really mad that he decides to run away.
The old man was in a mine, on the trip to the mountain, looking for gold, in the mine called The Pride of the West. He was mining gold by using dynamites to blow up some of the cave and searching through the loose dirt and rock for ores. When the dynamite blew up, he would run out of the cave yelling, "Fire in the hole! Fire in the hole."
Read Bearstone and other book written by Will Hobbs, I highly recomend these books.

The Power Of The Bearstone
This book really put the fact that being alone is not a good idea into perspective. The book did have somewhat of a dramatic plot. It was like a heartrate line, the suspense came and went throughout the book. The characters were beyond realistic. Cloyd had a problem with the red-haired man, just like people have problems with other people in the world. This book also had a real place as the setting which was very neat! The book showed that "If you put your mind to it, you can do anything". This statement is true because Cloyd wanted so badly to climb the Rio Grande and he ..............................WAIT why would I tell you?

You'll just have to read it to find out!