Jack Baker is new to Cape Fealty, Maine; new to the Morton Hill Academy for Boys; and new to the ocean. This is the first time he has ever left Kansas.
“Suddenly, there it was. The ocean. With its never-ending swells and lapping waves. Its heaving movement that made everything around it look like it, too, was in sympathetic motion. I took one look at the swells and bent over- and that was when I threw up.”
With this inauspicious beginning, Jack begins his journey to find his place in the world and befriends Early Auden. Jack loves looking at the stars, can name the constellations, gets lost in the woods, and tears a hole in the side of his boat. So, of course, during their fall break, Jack and Early set out, in a boat, towards the Appalachian Trail to find a great black bear, and answers.
“The great black bear, awesome as Ursa Major, wagged her head from side to side, and her bellow shook the nearby passage of the Appalachian Trail. I say her, but the truth is, we had no way to tell. There were no female markings, no cubs in sight. But I knew. I knew her like I knew my own mother. It was in her bearing – her absolute authority over us two boys locked in her gaze. And it was in her unwavering will to keep us alive.”
Interwoven with the story of Jack and Early is the legend of Polaris, whose mother called him Pi. Pi begins a journey to grow into his name. His mother tells him to look to the stars, “They will guide you. …The Great Bear will watch over you.”
With reality interwoven with legend, the story unfolds and touches all aspects of Jack’s life. Will he and Early find the great bear? Will Polaris grow into his name? Will Jack find his place in his new world in Maine?
Excellent book!