SHORTLISTED: NZ BOOKLOVERS AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULTS 2026 SHORTLISTED: West Australian Young Readers' Book Award 2026
NZ LISTENER 50 BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS 2025
AUCKLAND COUNCIL LIBRARIES TOP 10 FOR TEENS 2025
STORYLINES NOTABLE BOOK AWARD 2025
SHORTLISTED: 2025 Young Adult Book Award, New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
WINNER: 2024 Storylines Tessa Duder YA Award

'A darkly funny, haunting tale of finding a way through darkness to hope. A fresh and powerful take on an all-too-common teenage experience, this deftly executed story is both confronting and validating.'
NZCYA judges

'Tender and wickedly humorous - such an important story.' KAREN FOXLEE bestselling author of Lenny's Book of Everything

'Very funny, very well written and an accurate look into a teenager's changing world. Get it for your reading teen.' Linda Thompson, NZ Herald

'A must-read for teenagers. Dark, funny, and deeply unsettling, Bear is a book that crawls under your skin and stays there.' Imogen Gadd, Kete

'Wonderfully fresh and engaging.' Tessa Duder

Jasper Robinson-Woods is not okay - his name is too long, his mum has an annoying boyfriend, he never sees his dad, and he can't sleep because of a terrifying nightmare. Oh, and to top it off, his goldfish is dying.

Jasper is overwhelmed with bad thoughts. Are they a sign of disaster to come? The only place he feels safe is in the tree in his front yard.

But then the unimaginable happens: his nightmare comes to life and everything spirals out of control. Jasper decides it's finally time to face his nightmare.

Bear is a moving, often laugh-out-loud funny story showing that even when you hit rock bottom, you never know what, or who, is around the corner.