Bear

WINNER: NZ BOOKLOVERS AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK 2026
SHORTLISTED: West Australian Young Readers' Book Award 2026
NZ LISTENER 50 BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS 2025
AUCKLAND COUNCIL LIBRARIES TOP 10 FOR TEENS 2025
STORYLINES NOTABLE BOOK AWARD 2025
SHORTLISTED: 2025 Young Adult Book Award, New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
WINNER: 2024 Storylines Tessa Duder YA Award

'A darkly funny, haunting tale of finding a way through darkness to hope. A fresh and powerful take on an all-too-common teenage experience, this deftly executed story is both confronting and validating.'
NZCYA judges

'Tender and wickedly humorous - such an important story.' KAREN FOXLEE bestselling author of Lenny's Book of Everything

'Very funny, very well written and an accurate look into a teenager's changing world. Get it for your reading teen.' Linda Thompson, NZ Herald

'A must-read for teenagers. Dark, funny, and deeply unsettling, Bear is a book that crawls under your skin and stays there.' Imogen Gadd, Kete

'Wonderfully fresh and engaging.' Tessa Duder

'Amusing, tender, painful and beautiful.' What Book Next?

'Lightened by humour and Jasper's own observations and opinions. Bear is a must-read for both teenagers and the parents of teenagers.' NZ Booklovers Award judges

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.

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.

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.

Bear 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.