ALA Booklist (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Thirteen-year-old Tyson is having a rough year. His best friend ditched him for the popular crowd and a girlfriend, and now the hunting trip he and his grandpa have been planning e trip that will prove he is a man y get canceled. And all because of a few grizzly bear attacks! When Tyson begins to suspect that there may be something wrong with Grandpa Gene, he gets angry with his family for treating him like a child and keeping him in the dark. Gebhart's debut depicts the anger and emotion of adolescence without the angst; Tyson remains a likable oddball throughout. Unapologetic in his love of bears, Taylor Swift, and having his grandpa as his BFF, Tyson's eccentricities serve both as strengths and challenges as he matures. What results is a compelling and heartfelt story with just the right amount of humor. This should appeal to fans of Jordan Sonnenblick and to middle-school boys in general. And don't worry, there will, in fact, be bears.

Horn Book

When thirteen-year-old Tyson's grandfather invites him to go hunting in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest, he sees it as his chance to prove himself a man. But the combination of an inexperienced boy, a sickly seventy-seven-year-old man, and a killer grizzly bear reported in the park is a dangerous one. Gebhart crafts a satisfyingly complicated realistic drama that will hold readers in its grip.

Kirkus Reviews

Feeling abandoned by his two closest companions, 13-year-old Tyson just wants things to go back to normal—even if that means field dressing his own elk and fighting off a man-eating grizzly bear. When Tyson's best friend, Bright, decides he would rather hang out with the cool kids, Tyson reasons that he still has his grandfather for companionship. But when his grandfather Gene moves into a nursing home and Tyson's parents cancel their big hunting trip, it is almost more than Tyson can handle. With social pressures to fit in mounting and grades rapidly sinking, things are becoming desperate. Suddenly, the hunting trip is as much about saving himself as it is about taking down a six-point bull elk. Tyson is quirky, awkward and lovable; a perfect middle school boy. He is also, at times, laugh-out-loud funny, but his best qualities are his fierce love for his family and his unwavering desire to be true to himself. It is this inner strength that carries the story through some eyebrow-raising moments. While honesty is emphasized, the lies surrounding the secret hunting trip are brushed aside as necessary for the greater good. Occasionally salty vocabulary and adolescent innuendo are developmentally spot-on. A quirky, sweet adventure for middle school boys. (Fiction. 12-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Debut novelist Gebhart reveals an uncanny knack for getting inside the brain of a teenage boy wrestling with changing relationships and an onslaught of disappointments. Thirteen-year-old Tyson-s onetime best friend is spending all his time with his football teammates, but that-s nothing compared to Tyson-s fury when his parents cancel his much-anticipated elk-hunting trip with his grandfather, due to Gramps-s health and grizzly bear attacks in Bridger-Teton National Forest. Gebhart gives readers lots to chew on, including Tyson-s realization that life isn-t fair, his recognition of Gramps-s frailty, and lingering questions about manhood. Will killing an elk, even if it means lying to his parents, make Tyson a man? (And can he remain a member of the Taylor Swift fan club?) Graphic hunting and field-dressing details may be eye-opening for readers who, like Tyson, have only hunted with a video-game controller so far. Fully developed characters, complex and realistic relationships (especially between Tyson and Gramps), and Tyson-s spot-on narrative voice-which balances faux bravado, risqué humor, and real emotional pain-make this story stand out. Ages 10-up. Agent: John M. Cusick, Greenhouse Literary. (Apr.)

School Library Journal (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 5-8 Since his dad lost his job, 13-year-old Tyson has been living with his parents and younger sister in his Gramps's house in Colorado. The two are unusually close, which is a source of stability for Tyson as he makes his way through the tough changes in his lifeshifting family dynamics; the drifting away of his childhood best friend Brighton, who plays football now and runs with the popular crowd; and a first attempt at romance with new girl Karen. Then Gramps has to move to an assisted-living facility three hours away because his health is failing, which means a promised elk-hunting trip in the Grand Tetons is in jeopardy. Not to mention there's a malicious grizzly on the loose in the area. So the two concoct a lie about camping in Idaho in order to convince Tyson's dad to give him permission for what will most likely be Gramps's last hunting trip. Tyson's narration lends immediacy to the emotional development but can lapse into throwaway colloquialism ("I'm all whatever about it" or "I go, 'Yeah'"). The scenes surrounding the hunt and an encounter with the grizzly are the most dynamic in the book. It's here that the story really begins to grip. These depictions are not for every reader, though. The description of Tyson learning to field dress an elk is detailed and gory. Nonetheless, this should be an easy sell to younger middle schoolers, especially where hunting is a popular activity. Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA

Voice of Youth Advocates

For as long as he can remember, Tyson Diggs has been looking forward to his thirteenth birthday. To mark the celebration, he will go on his first hunting trip with Grandpa Gene. To prepare, Tyson obsessively reads the book Grizzly Bears of Northwest Wyoming and keeps an eye on news reports of hunters and campers attacked by a grizzly called Sandy. Tyson needs an escape too, from increasingly difficult schoolwork and the awkwardness of his first crush; his touchy parents who have been spread thin managing the household since Tyson's father lost his job; and his former friend Brighton, whose new football teammates tease Tyson relentlessly. But when Grandpa Gene suddenly moves out of the family home and into a nursing home three hours away, Tyson is confused and devastated. The hunting trip is cancelled . . . or is it? Despite his failing kidneys and behind the backs of Tyson's parents, Grandpa Gene and Tyson sneak off into the wilds of Wyoming to hunt elk. Tyson may not be tough enough to shoot and field dress an elk, and Grandpa Gene may not be well enough to handle the trip, but one thing is for certain: there will be bears.This charming coming-of-age story offers an elusive balance of humorous and poignant moments. Gebhart's firsthand experience field dressing elk lends unique and dramatic details to the familiar story of a boy coming to terms with his beloved grandfather's aging. Tyson is a likable protagonist whose transition from childhood to adulthood will be enjoyed by both boys and girls.Joanna Lima.