In award-winning author Ben Mikaelsen’s riveting sequel to the acclaimed word-of-mouth bestseller  Touching Spirit Bear , readers will be captivated by what Booklist calls a “hugely satisfying resolution.” Life in the wilderness—exiled from civilization as a punishment for his violent behavior—had its own set of hurdles, but for fifteen-year-old Cole Matthews, it's returning home and facing high school that feels most daunting. With gangs and physical altercations haunting the hallways of their school, Cole and his former victim Peter—who Cole has now become friends with—must face it all together. So when Peter’s limp and speech impediment make him a natural target for bullies, Cole’s suppressed rage comes bubbling to the surface a lot quicker than he anticipated. Will he throw everything away that he learned on the healing, remote Alaskan island? In this tale of survival and self-awareness, Cole realizes it's not enough to change himself. He has to change his world. Grade 6–10—Mikaelsen's sequel to Touching Spirit Bear (HarperCollins, 2001), the much-lauded novel exploring the psychology and community dynamics of bullying, is likely to draw a split decision among potential audiences. While teachers and counselors may find it to be an inspiring, timely, and instructive piece of bibliotherapy, street-smart students might find it improbable, pat, and didactic. The story picks up with newly reformed bully Cole Matthews and the boy he once beat mercilessly, Peter Driscal, returning to the demoralizing realities of their beleaguered urban high school after having spent extended therapeutic time exploring their inner lives on a remote Alaskan Island. While Cole had realized genuine peace and personal insight in exile, he can sense his old rage beginning to resurface when Peter, whom he now considers his best friend, becomes the target of gang attacks. Ultimately, in the wake of the suicide of a bullied classmate, Cole decides that the only real hope for changing the self-destructive attitudes and behaviors in his high school is to appeal to his principal to let him lead an attempt to heal its overall spirit using some of the same techniques his Tlingit mentor, Garvey, had employed with him. She does agree, of course, as obstacles tend to topple just a bit too easily in this overly whitewashed sequel.— Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Readers who clamored for a sequel to Touching Spirit Bear (2001), which left them wondering what would happen when Cole and Peter left Alaska, can finally breathe a sigh of relief—sort of. Cole’s father will have nothing to do with him, and Peter’s father, always critical, now considers his son damaged goods. School is a nightmare. Cole and Peter are prime targets for campus bullies, and if Cole violates parole by fighting back, he’ll go to jail. Both boys are frustrated and long for the serenity they left behind, but their efforts to recapture their experiences are laughably inadequate. It takes two tragic events to force the boys to face their demons and effect real change at home and at school. Mikaelsen provides a seamless transition between the two stories, as well as a highly satisfying resolution, and readers will quickly realize that, despite the new setting, this novel is just as much a survival story as its predecessor. The boys’ urban experiences are as gritty, dangerous, and physically and emotionally daunting as their adventures in the wild. Grades 6-9. --Chris Sherman “Gripping and fast moving.” - KLIATT “[A] highly satisfying resolution.” - ALA Booklist “Mikaelsen provides a seamless transition between the two stories, as well as a highly satisfying resolution, and readers will find that, despite the new setting, this novel is just as much a survival story as its predecessor.” - ALA Booklist Alone in the wilderness, Cole found peace. But he's not alone anymore. Cole Matthews used to be a violent kid, but a year in exile on a remote Alaskan island has a way of changing your perspective. After being mauled by a Spirit Bear, Cole started to heal. He even invited his victim, Peter Driscal, to join him on the island and they became friends. But now their time in exile is over, and Cole and Peter are heading back to the one place they're not sure they can handle: high school. Gangs and violence haunt the hallways, and Peter's limp and speech impediment make him a natural target. In a school where hate and tension are getting close to the boiling point, the monster of rage hibernating inside Cole begins to stir. Ben Mikaelsen's riveting saga of survival and self-awareness continues in the sequel to his gripping Touching Spirit Bear . This time, he weaves a tale of urban survival where every day is a struggle to stay sane. As the problems in his school grow worse, Cole realizes that it's not enough just to change himself. He has to change his w