Pocket Bear
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
An instant New York Times Bestseller!
Meet Pocket, created as a good luck charm for soldiers going into battle, whose bravery and loyalty lives on long after the war.
From Katherine Applegate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Odder and The One and Only Ivan.
Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his becoming: the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward. That way, glancing at his pocket, a soldier would see an endearing token of love from someone back home, and, hopefully, a good luck charm.
Now, over a century later, Pocket serves as unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured, where stuffed toy animals are refurbished and given a fresh opportunity to be loved. He and his best feline friend Zephyrina, known far and wide as “The Cat Burglar,” have seen it all, and then some.
An unforgettable tale of bravery, loyalty, and kindness, Pocket reminds us all that love comes in many forms (sometimes filled with fluff), and that second chances are always possible.
Don't miss more heartwarming books by Katherine Applegate:
Odder
Wishtree
Crenshaw
Willodeen
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When haughty former street cat Zephyrina finds abandoned, down-on-their-luck toys, she takes them to the apartment where she lives with mother-daughter duo Elizaveta and Dasha, refugees from Ukraine. At night, the family's toy collection awakens, roaming free under Zephyrina's watchful eye and the guidance of her best friend, stuffed teddy Pocket Bear. "Thimble-born" more than a century ago, Pocket was designed to fit in the front uniform pouch of an American soldier and provide comfort in the trenches during WWI. Now the wise "sarge" of this home of misfit toys, Pocket readily accepts Zephyrina's newest find: an ursine plush with a mysterious past, which she spotted covered in tomato sauce and pasta behind an Italian restaurant. Via attentive and nuanced renderings of the apartment's unique residents and the humans who care for them, Newbery Medalist Applegate weaves a gently sophisticated tale that considers the trauma brought about by war on those forced to endure it. Zephyrina's grudging first-person POV injects humor into tender and eloquent narrative sequences, which Santoso (Evelyn Witch Gets a Pet) expertly complements with detailed grayscale illustrations depicting moments such as Pocket's loving creation and a midnight conference of toys. Across brief yet rousing chapters, this treasure of a book evokes laughter, tears, and introspection in equal measure. Ages 8–12. Author's agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Heirloom Literary.
