History for Ages Eleven to Fifteen

The Award-Winning Summer of the Bear

The Summer of the Bear

targets the 8th-grade social studies
curri-culum, but is appropriate for
ages 11-15, for either social
studies or reading arts. Teachers
and parents will find that Summer
makes the history come alive for
their children. It is a story about
modern teenagers, and the
choices they face, while retracing
the steps of their Euro-American
and
Native American forefathers. The book makes an excellent read-aloud
for sixth- graders and an exciting read for any teen, who loves
adventure and mystery. Summer of the Bear, the first volume in a
series of historical fictions for young, received the Michigan State
History Award for Literature for Children and Young Adults in 2007.

How to Teach This Book to your Child

If you are wondering how to present this book to your child so that she
learns the facts she needs to know, it may help you have her put the
following questions to the text. All of the historical facts are indexed in
the back of the book. Remember, every child is going to wonder: why
do we have to read this? What does it teach us? Why did the author
write it? How do we know what the author meant by what she wrote?
(Hint: the characters, images, symbols, extra-textual references, etc.,
are all at the service of the author’s purpose).
Purposes of the Book: Every book is written for a reason, and, as
obvious as that may seem, your child needs to learn to recognize the
purpose for which the book was written. Only then can she understand
how every detail of the book points toward the author’s goals. This is
also a great way to prepare her to write her own papers and books, be
they fiction or nonfiction. Purpose is the most important organizational
principle in writing.
The first purpose of Summer of the Bear is to teach readers about
the histories, economies, and customs of the both the Indians and the
Canadian fur traders, the voyageurs, the coureurs de bois, the commis,
and the big American fur trading companies.

The boys in the story sing the

voyageurs’ songs while they are
paddling up the Pigeon River.
Authentic music appears in the
text. The reader learns a certain
amount of French, which is
translated in the text, and, again,
at the back of the book. The
reader also learns about Native
American history, especially
Ojibwe history, from pre-contact
times to the present. Along with
this, he acquires a number of
Anishinaa-bemowin (Ojibwe
language) terms.

Seeking to fulfill his core democratic value of liberty, the hero

discovers the responsibilities that go hand-in-hand with freedom. The
core democratic values are of paramount importance for the eighth-
grade curriculum.
Jean-Baptiste and Kevin discuss the difference between
traditional or survival economies (like that of the Anishinabeg) and
command economies (the European economy, which was geared to
profit). (Pp.45-46)
The teens in the story become involved with an Ojibwe
bearwalker. In processing what happens to them, the boys discuss the
California missions, the Esselen Indians, and how some bearwalkers
can be good, while others are criminals. They talk about California
because one of them, Brock, has read a mysterious, scary novel about
Esselen bearwalkers. What kinds of bearwalkers do the boys
themselves turn out to be?
Finally, two of the boys visit Michilimackinac, Mill Creek, and
Mackinac Island in Michigan, where they see an Algonquian lodge, the
wealthy trader and peace-maker, Ezekiel Solomon’s house, and learn
how Mill Creek was founded to supply lumber for the construction of
the fort on Mackinac Island. Kevin, the narrator, tells his friend, Brock,
who is a very minor expert on Vernor’s Ginger Ale, about Père
Marquette.

The second purpose of this book is to serve as a text for reading

arts. It is a lively, adventure-packed, coming-of-age story about Kevin
Murphy and his best friend, Brock Tomlinson. Kevin, the narrator, looks
back on his 14th summer, the year that he became a responsible
citizen.
 The boys set out to spend the
summer at the Tomlinson cabin in
the Pigeon River Country State
Forest, Michigan. The French
Canadian teen next door, Jean-
Baptiste Vaillant, takes the boys
on a canoe trip they will never
forget. They become witnesses to
a mysterious murder, committed
by a bad bearwalker, and
eventually encounter a real bear.
Everything in
the story tests their courage and their loyalty to each other, as well as
the values that their parents and teachers have been trying to instill. In
spite of themselves, they are inexorably pushed across the threshold
from boyhood into the adult world.

The third purpose of the book is to help youngsters learn solid

values
they will carry into adulthood. The main thrust of the story is unity in
diversity: teamwork and the invaluable contribution each individual is
able to make to the group. They must also learn to be considerate and
wise, in addition to being courageous and unselfish. Both Kevin and
Brock become “men” on this trip precisely because they eventually
learn all of these lessons, including the virtue of protecting family
honor by behaving in exemplary fashion.

The Issues Raised in the Book, which You Can Discuss with
Your Child:
One of the very first issues raised in the book is the meaning of Core
Democratic Values for kids. Do kids get any of these rights? Why?
Why not? When the Constitution tells us we’re FREE, does that mean
we can do and say anything we want, or are there bounds to our
liberty?

“And personal liberty,’ Miss Frolich droned on, “is the right to think, to
act, and to be an individual without governmental control or protest . . .”

What a joke. If I wanted to do something, my father would decide

whether or not I could do it. If he could have controlled my mind, he would
have. I guessed you got to enjoy all those freedoms Miss Frolich had been
teaching us when you grew up and moved out of your parents’ house. This
really ex citing plan I had hatched for that summer is a perfect example of
what I mean. It was harmless, but it would allow me the freedom to be the
real me. I doubted my father would go for it. (Pp.2-3)

“That’s very nice. I mean you should have the freedom to be the
person you were born to be,” my father yelled, “but what about me? I feed
you, clothe you, put a roof over your head, and I love you. Don’t I have any
rights? And what about your mother? Didn’t it ever occur to you that she
might be worried? Having the right to liberty doesn’t mean you can do
anything you want any time you want. The right to liberty brings with it
tremendous responsibility. You have to think about other people. You have
to think about what’s fair for them as well as for yourself.” (P.98)

Conservation and the Proper Uses of Wealth.

Conservation and sharing for the Native American constituted a way of
life, whereas the Euro-American wastes enormous quantities of natural
resources and only gives for a tax write-off. He may worry about the
obvious end of the world, but, when it comes to making money, he
thinks only of the here and now. Native Americans always gave thanks
for everything they took, and they took exactly what they needed from
the Earth.
 “Wild rice (mano’min) is said to be generous to those who ask permission
from the spirits to take it. They must pick only as much as they need and no more.
This is so that there will always be plenty for everybody.” (Pp.16-17)

“We Anishinabeg are the original conservationists. The Creator gave us

everything we needed.”

“During the pre-contact period ‘the time before the Europeans came’,” Jean-
Baptiste interrupted, “they could get what they needed from their environment. They
asked the spirits’ permission for everything they took; they never took any more than
they needed. Why would they want something extra, when they had more than
enough? It is their way to share with family and needy neighbors. Their way of
showing wealth is to give it away, not to display possessions.” (Pp.44-45).

What is the Best Kind of Economy? Survival Economies Versus

Economies Geared to Profit.

“. . . The Anishinabeg only wanted to

survive. The Indians eventually made
themselves trouble because they killed
all their fur-bearing animals to satisfy
European demands. Then the fur trade
died. If they had preserved the animals,
the way their customs taught them to do,
they would never have run out of fur for
warmth or meat to eat.” (P.45)

For the Indian, Nature Is Not Only Good, but It Is an Integral

Part of the Creation. For the White Man, Nature is Evil and is
Put at Man’s Disposal. He Therefore Destroys it, with Little
Thought for the Future.
In this novel, Kevin is fearful of the forest and hostile nature.
 “That night I couldn’t sleep, worrying about
what would happen when Brock’s father came up
for the weekend, and we weren’t there. Then I
worried about what would happen if we got lost or
found a bear. What if we drowned?” (Pp.22-23)

His friend, Jean-Baptiste, angers a mother bear, which forces Kevin

to kill it. Then Jean-Baptiste takes only the bear’s hide, leaving the
meat to rot. By contrast, the Indian sees the bear as a positive force:

“Kuo-Haya,” he said to his boy. “I have come to take you home. The bears
have taught me a lesson. I shall treat you as a father should treat his son.” Then
he promised that he would always be kind to the bears, because they had taught
the boy that we must always be kind to one another.” (P.52)

When Jean-Baptiste sees that Kevin and Brock are horrified at

eating the muskrat he has just killed, he says,

“My Anishinabe Friend, Ed, taught me that one only kills what one needs to
survive. One offers tobacco and asks the animal’s forgiveness so that he will lead
more muskrat, or deer, or whatever it is, to one’s gun when one needs to eat.
Then one buries his bones. You see, the Anishinabeg think that everything in
creation is related. So one is related to this muskrat, to the tree, to the river, to
everything.” (P.32)

When Kevin looks at nature, he sees death at every turn. By

contrast, the Anishinabe boy, Mickie, sees nature as a protective force, as long as he treats
her respectfully:
 “My Ahsaymah, or Tobacco, in
Anishinaa-bemowin, carries my thoughts
to the Spirit World. It represents my
sincerity. When I offer Tobacco to the
spirits, they tell me the secrets of the
Creation. The Water Spirits appreciate
my respectfulness so they guide me
safely across the rivers. I’m always able
to find something to eat because the
animals offer themselves to me when I’m
hungry. The Tobacco shows them the
truth of my intentions.” (P.36)

Disciplining Children.
Both Kevin and Brock come from families where children are
sternly disciplined. It is new for them to learn about Indian discipline:

“The Anishinabeg never beat or shout at their children,” Star said. “If the child
is uncontrollable, they might threaten him with monsters that prey on disobedient
children. But, for the most part, they speak calmly and clearly to the child who
misbehaves.”
“What do they say to him?” Brock asked.
“They tell him a teaching story,” Star replied, “like the one you just heard”
(P.52)

The Equality of Women.

Star’s father told us another story that night about Native American women.
“Their roles varied widely from tribe to tribe,” he began, “but Indians have always
loved and respected their woman. They were leaders and war chiefs in some
nations. In all tribes, women are the ones who give and preserve life. Like any
man, a woman’s first allegiance is to her family and her tribe. A good life means
doing what you are supposed to do, rather than what you want to do.” (P.53)
And here are some terrific literary questions you can have your
children put to the text.
In the story, a real bear and a bearwalker appear. What is a
bearwalker? What do bearwalkers and bears have to do with one
another? The characters talk about the Bear Clan, real bears, and tell
Indian tales about bears and bearwalkers. What is the meaning of the
Bear as the central symbol of the novel? What kind of a bearwalker is
Kevin? What is the Bear Clan? The adventure begins and ends with the
bear. If you had to pick a geometric shape for the narrative, what
would it be? What relationship does this narrative shape have to the
content of the novel? (Hint: For traditional Native Americans, all things
are round).

What is the function of Flashback in the novel?

Characters are really ideas. Some ideas are static – they never
change. Some ideas grow. In a novel, the static ideas support
or contrast to the ideas that grow. The characters/ideas are
presented as people so that the reader can relate to them and
be swept away with the flow of the novel. He has to care about
the characters in order to learn the ideas they embody. There
are four principal characters in this novel. Two of these
characters are main characters and two are secondary. Which
ones? Why? What is their function in the story? Of all the
characters, which ones are flats (types that never change) and
which ones are rounded (psychologically believable characters
that grow)? How does the author accomplish this?

How does Kevin change? How does Brock change? Do Jean-Baptiste

or Mickie change? Do the Schickbahouk or the Bearwalker change?
Does Crystal change?
How does the narrator (the one who tells the story), Kevin
Murphy, feel about pretending to be someone he’s not with the
opposite sex? What do you think the author feels about role-playing?
How does the author get this across in the novel?

How does the narrator feel about liberty? How does the author
feel? How does the author get her feelings across in the novel?

How does the author feel about discipline and raising children?
How do you know that Star is speaking for the author in this instance?

The function of a novel is to teach lessons or to raise

fundamental questions, which cause the reader to think seriously
about this or that issue. What are the lessons to be learned from
Summer of the Bear?

There are several different points of view presented about the

status of women. How does Jean-Baptiste feel about them? Kevin?
Star? The Native Americans? The author?

Do you think Kevin was right to go off without sharing his plans
with his parents? Do you think the boys were wise to solve the problem
of the bearwalker by themselves, rather than reporting their suspicions
to the police? Do you think Jean-Baptiste should marry Louise
Beauparlant? Why? Why not?

For the Native American, Nature is good. Every part of the

creation is valuable, as valuable as man himself. Man may take only
those things in Nature that he needs for his survival. He must never
take more than he can use, and he must never waste what he does
take. What is the attitude of white people towards Nature? What is
Kevin’s attitude? Jean-Baptiste’s, Mickie’s? Considering the shrinking
natural resources of the world today, what attitude do you think would
be a good one to adopt? Do you think Nature is evil? Harmful?
Dangerous? Are you afraid of wild animals? Why do you feel the way
you do?