A Constellation of Minor Bears

June 10, 2024
Everything for white and Métis 17-year-old Molly Norris-Norquay changes when her older half brother Hank, who is white, falls in a climbing accident that puts him in a coma. When he awakens after three weeks, Molly learns that he’s sustained a traumatic brain injury that will affect every part
of his life, including his personality and their future plans. It also delays his graduation. Hank chooses not to attend the celebratory trip hiking the Pacific Crest Trail that he, Molly, and their mutual best friend, Métis 18-year-old Traylor, put together. Traveling without Hank, tensions rise between Tray and Molly, who blames Tray for the accident, as he was the one who unknowingly gave Hank faulty equipment. The hike was meant to kick off the trio’s long-awaited future, but between navigating new friendships, surprise visitors, and emotional revelations, it’s clear that this trip will catalyze even more drastic changes for Molly and Tray. With a rhythm and tone that reads like poetry, Ferguson (Those Pink Mountain Nights) delivers
an emotionally resonant tale in which profound interpersonal conflict unfolds against the lushly described natural backdrop of an adrenaline-inducing outdoor environment. Ages 13–up.

July 15, 2024
Molly has just graduated high school in Edmonton, Alberta, and she's heading off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail: "the hardest and best thing we'd ever do." Since her brother, Hank, is recovering from an accident that's left him with traumatic brain injury, 17-year-old Molly sets out with his best friend, Traylor. She's using this trip to get some space from her family as she contemplates her next steps: She planned to become a doctor and help her M�tis community, but now that doesn't feel like the right path. A summer outdoors, listening to tunes with the person she blames for her brother's accident, should take her mind off her impending future. Tray is in love with Molly; he knew when he was 13 that he'd marry her and has been waiting for her to catch on. High-achieving Molly has an all-or-nothing mentality that holds her back but feels realistic for her age. She suffers from the burden of others' expectations, and hiking the trail gives her time and space for self-reflection. The book jumps around in time, shifting among three youths' perspectives as it explores disability and fat activism and fatphobia, with a side of romance. Although the novel is long, it doesn't fully engage with all of its plots and subplots, which makes for an unsatisfying read. A novel for patient readers that doesn't dig deeply enough into the important issues it explores. (content note, author's note, recipe, note from Cynthia Leitich Smith)(Fiction. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-In this coming-of-age story, a group of teens find themselves as they hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Half-siblings Molly and Hank and their friend Traylor have been planning their graduation trip for years now. They were going to hike the PCT before they all went to college, but Hank has a life-changing accident which irrevocably breaks the bonds of the group. When they decide to go on the hike anyway, truths are finally brought to the surface, but is it enough to save the relationships? The beauty in this book is in the characters and the problems they face. Molly's anger toward her brother and best friend, Hank's inability to be truthful to his sister, and Traylor's guilt over what happened to Hank and his unspoken feelings about Molly are just a touch of what lies ahead for the teens. But there is nothing like miles of walking to bring everything to the surface. With the PCT as the backdrop, and almost a character itself, readers will want to go on their own adventure. No matter who reads this book, they will find something in each character that will ring true. VERDICT A must-buy for YA collections.-Heather Lassley

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Molly had an epic trip planned for the summer after graduation: hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with her brother, Hank, and his best friend, Tray. That is, until Hank has a near-fatal climbing accident--one Tray tried and failed to prevent. Despite Hank staying behind, Molly insists on doing the hike. To her dismay, her parents insist that Tray accompany her. Together, a silent schism between them, Tray and Molly fly to California and begin their trek--one in which they will be forced to reckon with what happened the day Hank fell as well as the feelings they have for each other. Though quiet and small in scope, this book more than makes up for it in its thoughtfulness. Using three points of view, Ferguson adeptly creates deep, rounded characters who, while having distinct voices, are all equal parts mischievous and reflective. Molly and Hank exhibit a truly well-crafted sibling relationship that flips on its head after Hank's accident. A great read for all teenagers, especially those who've graduated and are wondering what comes next.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2024
Molly, her brother Hank, and Tray have been best friends since middle school, but a lot has changed. Hank now has a traumatic brain injury from a climbing accident. Tray was there when it happened, and Molly holds him responsible. The three had planned a hike across the Pacific Crest Trail to celebrate their high school graduation, and even though Hank isn't graduating, he eventually agrees to come too. As the teens hike along the difficult trail, they must deal with the intense feelings that each has been holding onto since Hank's accident. With the aid of new friends they meet along the way -- including Brynn, whom they help escape an abusive situation -- the friends slowly open up to one another. The story touches on ableism, fatphobia (affecting Molly and Brynn), and anti-Indigenous thoughts and actions (Molly and Tray are Mitis and white, like author Ferguson). Through the alternating voices of Molly and Tray and through Hank's past and present social media posts, Ferguson (The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, rev. 5/22) has again created well-characterized teenage protagonists grappling with difficult issues. An engrossing, introspective tale of a trek and of teen relationships. Nicholl Denice Montgomery

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Molly, her brother Hank, and Tray have been best friends since middle school, but a lot has changed. Hank now has a traumatic brain injury from a climbing accident. Tray was there when it happened, and Molly holds him responsible. The three had planned a hike across the Pacific Crest Trail to celebrate their high school graduation, and even though Hank isn't graduating, he eventually agrees to come too. As the teens hike along the difficult trail, they must deal with the intense feelings that each has been holding onto since Hank's accident. With the aid of new friends they meet along the way -- including Brynn, whom they help escape an abusive situation -- the friends slowly open up to one another. The story touches on ableism, fatphobia (affecting Molly and Brynn), and anti-Indigenous thoughts and actions (Molly and Tray are Mitis and white, like author Ferguson). Through the alternating voices of Molly and Tray and through Hank's past and present social media posts, Ferguson (The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, rev. 5/22) has again created well-characterized teenage protagonists grappling with difficult issues. An engrossing, introspective tale of a trek and of teen relationships.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)