Apparently I am a little behind in discovering this author, now I will be looking for all of her books.First - everything I love about this book:the excerpts from the fairy tale at the start of every chapter;the brevity, story does not drag out;descriptions are great;even tho the outcome was a given, it kept me entertained.what I did not like was Rose - how I wanted to just shake her and say she had to sit down and relax!just a little too much drama and spontaneity for meand the mother was way too casual for living in NYC - then I saw the publication date and it made more sense, 1997 was world's away from 2014 in terms of safety (as is North Dakota)All in all, well done!I plan to acquire and read the series.oops - just noticed this is listed under Catholic YA - if that is not your religion, do not let that deter you. I really wanted to like this, because there isn't nearly enough empowering fiction for Catholic girls...okay, next to none as far as I know. But seriously? What teenager says things like "Cowabunga!" when she finds a $10 prom dress at the thrift store? For a teenager to want to read a book like this, it has to be as engaging as the non-religious YA books available. I would guess that this is difficult to accomplish, but still think this could have been done so much better.Also, I probably won't be letting my daughter read this. Really, letting a known drug dealer hang out in your house is pretty ridiculous, and dating him is even more ridiculous. But teenagers can do silly things like that. The worst part is that the girls' mother thinks it's fine and doesn't try to stop Blanche from dating Bear, who on the surface appears to be a drug dealer. It later transpires that he's not, but still, a little prudence please? Of course I hope to raise my children not to be prejudiced and judgmental, but I also hope to raise them with enough self-preservation not to get killed trying to reform someone who, by all outward signs, looks and acts very dangerous. In their own form, Blanche and Rose's actions are as dangerous and self-destructive as Bella's in Twilight, which is the best example of the kind of book I'd never let my own daughter read.
What do You think about The Shadow Of The Bear (2008)?
Lent this to my sister years ago and just reclaimed it last weekend...
—lorraineyg
Realistic fairy tale set in New York. Simple story line, fast read.
—samnichols16
