Walt MoreyBesprekingen

YMMV Death of parent, remarriage, possible drinking to excess.

An engaging tale of a young man stranded in the wilderness, and how he comes to appreciate his surroundings as well as fend for himself. It's a young adult story that should appeal to adults, like me, who enjoy a well-told tale.½

A teenager rebelling from his Hollywood style parents finds himself on an island with a tame cougar, trying to avoid a big game hunter who purchased the big cat with the intent of adding another trophy to his collection. It reminded me of a Hallmark or Disney story, without all the saccharine. Good read, believable, and entertaining.

Kavik is a malamute-mix sled dog sold to rich man outside Alaska as a $2,000 trophy after winning a sled race. While in transport, Kavik is in a horrible plane crash that kills the pilot and severely injures him. He is contained within the wreckage for a series of days when a boy named Andy finds him. Andy releases Kavik and shows him the first bit of kindness the dog has ever really known, and nurses him back to health until the rich man finds out Kavik is still alive and seizes him. Kavik eventually escapes and is bound and destined to return to Andy. It’s a story about survival, persistence, abuse, loyalty and friendship.

A boy named Mark is the main character who forms an unbreakable bond with a bear held in a shed on his way to school. He feeds it sandwiches and keeps him company. But when he finds out the owner wants to get rid of Ben, the boy makes a daring attempt at breaking the bear free. He sets him free but Ben I afraid to leave. The boy stays with Ben and proves to his family and friends that the love and the bond they share are infectious.

Nice story, rather standard trope of Lassie Come Home. Kavik's adventures are mildly interesting, and the author doesn't try to express his thoughts, just his actions. Enjoyable for a quick read.½

Read for Battle of the Books. I didn't expect much from this book, but I really enjoyed it.

Traced the friendship between a boy and a bear in the rugged Alaskan Territory. The Alaskan wilderness is a lonely place for Mark Anderson, especially after the tragic death of his older brother. In time, Mark finds a friend named Ben, who happens to be an Alaskan brown bear so huge that no one dares to come near him.

An entertaining story of a young man and a huge "runaway" thoroughbred, as well as the issues and trials of a small town, circa, 1915. Not just for "horse" fans, but is appropriate for adult or adolescent read.½

The Alaskan wilderness is a lonely place for Mark Andersen, especially after the death of his older brother, Jamie. But in time Mark finds someone else to love--Ben, an Alaskan brown bear so huge that no one else dares come near him. Gentle Ben has been a favorite of readers of all ages for 25 years, and is a timeless story of a rare friendship. An ALA Notable Book.

I was going to pick a book in a different genre last night, as my 'before sleep' read, but settled on Kavik the Wolf Dog by Walt Morey.

The story had overtones at first to White Fang, but in a less dark manner. Kavik is raised by a harsh man, whose only thought for the part wolf/part husky puppy is to raise him to be the best lead dog in sled dog racing. Kavik is bought by a rich man who sees the dog as another trophy from Alaska.

The man's plans are thwarted when the dog is lost in the wilderness, severely injured while being transported. Kavik is rescued by a young man, who gives the dog his first experience of kindness and love as he and his family nurse Kavik back to health.

After recovering from his injuries, Kavik is then taken 2000 miles to live with his rich owner. However, Kavik has other plans for his life, and you can guess the rest.

Nicely written, enjoyable story, and engaging enough to keep me reading past my bedtime. It's not a great story, but definitely worth a read, and I do recommend it.

I picked up this book last weekend at a thrift store, as I've read other books by this author. I suppose it is considered a 'youth' book, but it was a pleasant read.

The story takes place in the late 1800s or early 1900s in Oregon and concerns a family who have moved from the city to 'farm'. Unfortunately, the father doesn't have a clue about how to manage/handle a farm, and winds up spending more time at the local tavern than where he needs to be. His wife is trying to handle the family and the farm, helped by her 12 year old son and sickly 7 year old daughter. The title comes from the boy's longing for a black pony he sees running across the valley daily, as the horses are driven to water.

Nice story, good character development, and I recommend it.½

Mark befriends a brown bear, Ben, locked up in a shed near his house in Alaska. While Ben and Mark share a special relationship, unusual between man and bear, others in the town don't like the idea of having a wild bear around. Throughout the story, Mark and his family work together to keep Ben safe from some of the townspeople. Both heart-wrenching and heart-warming, Gentle Ben brings a tale of perseverance, adventure, and true friendship.

This is my favorite book. Mark is a young boy who lives in Alaska and befriends a young bear cub chained in a shed behind his house. Mark's parents do not know about the friendship for awhile and are not happy about it, but allow Mark to continue to see the bear. Mark names the bear, Ben, and Ben grows to an enormous size. One night his former owner is drunk and comes to mistreat the bear only to receive damage to himself. The town declares the bear is a danger and must go. Ben is then supposed to be shipped to the states, but falls overboard during a storm and swims to a near island. Mark and his family take a job managing a salmon trap on the island where Ben is located. Mark and Ben are reunited, but must try to stay away from hunters. One hunter with money sees Ben and decides to pay for him to stay alive because he is such an awesome sight. So the family lives with Ben happily ever after.

My students always loved this book when I read it to them. We discussed the weather and landscape in Alaska as well as how animals such as Ben grow to be so big.

The most hart warming book I have ever read. I'm not really into the whole boy being the mane person usually BUT i got hooked on this book right away. Anyone out there who is thinking of reading it I say Go For It

A fine story, well written and even somewhat engaging. Abandoned because there was simply too many other books that needed to be read at the time. My tween daughter loved it, and is still disappointed that I didn't make it past chapter 4.

This is one of my "I should have read that in elementary school" books. I wouldn't have touched it back then - a "boy's book". The story drew me in from the first page - the gentle spirit of the boy Mark and his love of a captured bear, Ben; Karl - Mark's strong father making a living with the short season of salmon harvesting and his very clear love for his family; Ellen - Mark's equally strong mother who understands her young son's odd relationship/friendship with a wild animal and the need for it. All family elements are touched upon in this book...nice quick descriptions of how Mark saw his mother are particularly well done which give you a real feel for her personality. I enjoyed the information about how the salmon is caught and the setting of this fictional Alaskan town. Excellent book. Glad I finally read it.

I have loved this book since I first read it so many years ago. Anyone who reads it will want a pet like Ben. Mark is the only one to both understand and connect with the bear kept by one of the townsfolk in mid-twentieth century Alaska, and the consequences will be both wonderful and terrible. Morey captures the Alaskan wilderness with such detail that even someone who has never been there, like me, can imagine what it must be like. Any animal lover will be enthralled with the life of Ben. The moral the story delivers - don't judge a book by its cover, and not all of one group are the same - is done so well most won't even realize that is what the story says. Even now, when I pull out the book for a re-read, I find myself lost in Ben's Alaska. That is the feat all authors should strive for.

Stranded for six months in the Rocky Mountains following an airplane crash, a 15-year-old boy is taken in by an old hermit who teaches him the ways of the wilderness.
"Ages 10 up"-

Ben is a bear that a boy was keeping as a pet and one night some drunk people walked by Ben and they got injured. So Ben was placed on an island that the boy didn't know of and the boy kept on trying to find him.
A very sad book.½

A sad, touching story in which Kavik earns love, gains confidence, and finds a true home.

a boy befriends and cares for a bear.

Liked this book when young (before 1974)

A boy growing up in the Oregon country in the early 1900s experiences the death of his father, the remarriage of his mother, and the ultimate attainment of a dream.

Lexile: 740
Reading Recovery: 24
DRA: 40
Fountas Pinnel Guided Reading: R