The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson (review)

Twelve-year-old Yanka is nicknamed "Yanka the Bear" in her village, both for her abnormal height and strength and the fact that she was raised by a bear until her human mother found her in the forest at the age of two. Yanka's ancestry comes under further scrutiny when she wakes up with bear legs one day, and she sets out to the forest with Mousetrap, the family weasel, to learn about her past. Along the way Yanka rescues an elk, has a showdown with a wolf, meets witches in a Yaga house, and takes down a fire dragon as she learns the truth about her family—her grandfather was human and asked too many wishes of the legendary Lime Tree, and the family was transformed into bears by a curse. This UK import is a loving tribute to Russian folklore, interspersed with tales passed between the characters that relate to Yanka's past in a way that allows readers to piece it together themselves. Anderson's prose is a lyrical treat as she conveys the excitement of the village festival and the smells and sights of the forest in vivid detail, and light-hearted tidbits with the side cast take some of the weight from Yanka's relatable and powerful struggle to balance influences from her past and her hopes for the future. A glossary of Russian terms is included.