Bear

<b>WINNER: NZ BOOKLOVERS AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK 2026</b> <br><b>SHORTLISTED: West Australian Young Readers' Book Award 2026</b> <br><b>NZ LISTENER 50 BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS 2025</b><br><b>AUCKLAND COUNCIL LIBRARIES TOP 10 FOR TEENS 2025</b><br><b>STORYLINES NOTABLE BOOK AWARD 2025</b> <br><b>SHORTLISTED: 2025 Young Adult Book Award, New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults</b> <br><b>WINNER: 2024 Storylines Tessa Duder YA Award</b> <br><br><b>'A darkly funny, haunting tale of finding a way through darkness to hope. A fresh and </b><b>powerful take on an all-too-common teenage experience, this deftly executed story is both </b><b>confronting and validating.'</b><br><b>NZCYA judges<br></b><br><b>'Tender and wickedly humorous - such an important story.' KAREN FOXLEE bestselling author of <i>Lenny's Book of Everything</i><br><br>'Very funny, very well written and an accurate look into a teenager's changing world. Get it for your reading teen.' Linda Thompson,<i> NZ Herald</i></b><br><br><b>'A must-read for teenagers. Dark, funny, and deeply unsettling, <i>Bear </i>is a book that crawls under your skin and stays there.' Imogen Gadd, <i>Kete</i></b><br> <br><b><i>'</i>Wonderfully fresh and engaging.' Tessa Duder</b><br><br><b>'Amusing, tender, painful and beautiful.' What Book Next?</b><br><br><b>'Lightened by humour and Jasper's own observations and opinions. <i>Bear</i> is a must-read for both teenagers and the parents of teenagers.' NZ Booklovers Award judges<br></b><br><br>Jasper Robinson-Woods is not okay - his name is too long, his mum has an annoying boyfriend, he never sees his dad, and he can't sleep because of a terrifying nightmare. Oh, and to top it off, his goldfish is dying. <br><br>Jasper is overwhelmed with bad thoughts. Are they a sign of disaster to come? The only place he feels safe is in the tree in his front yard. <br><br>But then the unimaginable happens: his nightmare comes to life and everything spirals out of control. Jasper decides it's finally time to face his nightmare.<br><br><i>Bear</i> is a moving, often laugh-out-loud funny story showing that even when you hit rock bottom, you never know what, or who, is around the corner.