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Pocket Bear

by Katherine Applegate · 2025

"Pocket Bear" is a middle-grade novel by Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Charles Santoso. Its hero is Pocket, a stuffed teddy bear "thimble-born" more than a century ago and designed to fit in the front… more

First published 2025 · 272 pages · English

6 quotes ★ 4.37 (4,241) Children's

Quotes from the Book

You can never lose a true friend...True friends are like stars: always there, even when you can't see them.
3
Nothing wrong with a nap...As long as you know how to dream.
1
He is a hero. Not a big, important hero. But there are many kinds of heroes.
We are, all of us, small for a while. But only a fortunate few stay small forever.
But everyone is rare,” Berwon pointed out. “We’re all one of a kind.
Self-preservation is a powerful instinct.

Did you know?

  • The novel is illustrated by Charles Santoso, whose detailed grayscale illustrations accompany the text.
  • Pocket was created during World War I to fit inside the front pouch of an American soldier's uniform as a comforting keepsake.
  • Pocket's eyes are sewn slightly higher than usual so that he always seems to gaze upward at the soldier carrying him.
  • The story is narrated by Zephyrina, a sharp-tongued former street cat.
  • The toys are cared for by Elizaveta and Dasha, a mother and daughter who are refugees from Ukraine.
  • Both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews gave the book starred reviews.

About Katherine Applegate

Katherine Applegate is a #1 New York Times bestselling American children's author who won the 2013 Newbery Medal for "The One and Only Ivan." With her husband Michael Grant she co-created the long-running Animorphs series, and her other books include "Home of the Brave," "Crenshaw," "Wishtree," and "Odder."

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About the book

"Pocket Bear" is a middle-grade novel by Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Charles Santoso. Its hero is Pocket, a stuffed teddy bear "thimble-born" more than a century ago and designed to fit in the front pouch of an American soldier's uniform to offer comfort in the trenches of World War I. In the present day, Pocket is the wise leader of a household of cast-off toys cared for by Elizaveta and Dasha, a mother and daughter who are refugees from Ukraine, alongside the home's haughty former-street-cat narrator, Zephyrina. When Zephyrina drags home a mysterious old bear she finds discarded behind an Italian restaurant, the newcomer's hidden past sets the story in motion.

Told largely through Zephyrina's grudging first-person voice, the book balances humor with tenderness as it explores friendship, loyalty, and the idea of second chances for things and people the world has thrown away. Through Pocket's origins and the refugee family's present, Applegate threads a gentle meditation on the trauma that war inflicts on those forced to endure it, and on memory, resilience, and the worth of the overlooked.

Released in September 2025, "Pocket Bear" became an instant New York Times bestseller and was named to best-of-the-year lists by Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Critics praised its blend of warmth and seriousness and Santoso's detailed grayscale illustrations, with Publishers Weekly calling it "a treasure of a book" that "evokes laughter, tears, and introspection in equal measure."

Key characters

  • PocketA century-old teddy bear, made in WWI, who is the wise leader of the home of cast-off toys
  • ZephyrinaA haughty former street cat who narrates the story and brings home discarded toys
  • ElizavetaA mother and refugee from Ukraine who, with her daughter, refurbishes and rehomes toys
  • DashaElizaveta's daughter, a Ukrainian refugee who helps care for the toys

Book details

First published
2025
Length
272 pages
Reading time
4 hours
Goodreads rating
4.37 (4k ratings)

Critical reception

  • Named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year for 2025.
  • Became an instant New York Times bestseller.
  • Received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.
  • Publishers Weekly praised Zephyrina's first-person voice for injecting humor into tender narrative and called it "a treasure of a book."

The buzz

Pocket Bear Pocket Bear Katherine Applegate Get the book
2025·★ 4.37 (4k)
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