Moon Bear

About this book

Both torn from their homes in Laos a boy and a moon bear cub form a deep bond in this moving and memorable (Kirkus Reviews starred review) tale of impossible odds and resilient hope based on true and tragic conditions in Eastern Asia. Twelve-year-old Tam on a dare ventures into a moon bear den in the mountains of Northern Laos. His goal is to steal the cub and sell it making a fortune for his family. But the mother bears unexpected return upends Tams plan and he barely escapes with his life. And then his life implodes anyway: his entire mountain village is made to relocate to make room for a new highway. Lured by the promise of electricity running water and a television Tams people move to an overcrowded village where Tams father is killed by a stray landmine. Now the family breadwinner Tam is forced to work hundreds of miles away in the city of Laos at a moon bear farm where bile from bear gall bladders is used for medicine. It is a cruel miserable place and when a familiar facethe very cub hed seen in the den in Vietnamis sold to the bear farm Tam knows he must save this moon bear no matter what it takes. Deeply and powerfully moving Moon Bear is an unforgettable story of compassion hope and bravery against overwhelming odds and brings to light the real-life heartwrenching plight of Asias endangered moon bears.