Have you ever seen that meme with a teddy bear standing over a sleeping child, challenging a looming monster? If you have, you've got the basis for Spark and the Legends of Ursus. Spark and Sir Reginald are teddy bears, pledged to protect their now-tween children, Loretta and Matthew, from monsters. Sir Reginald is the elder bear and mentor to Spark, the one who introduced her to the League of Ursus - the secret society of teddy bears, sworn to protect. Things are dire when a monster shows up in Loretta's room, and when a neighborhood girl goes missing. Spark and Sir Reginald are determined to protect their charges, but find themselves up against a terrible evil that they need help battling. Additional League of Ursus members, a sock monkey, and Amazon warrior princess doll are all that stands between the monster and the children of their neighborhood.

This is an exciting, heartfelt adventure book that embraces our love of teddy bears. Their gentle natures belie the fact that they are bears, who can be pretty ferocious! The story also looks at the love between a toy and a child - in this universe, a toy doesn't "awaken" until it's loved by a child - and how that changes as the child gets older and finds less time for their toys. If you have Toy Story fans, and readers of books like Brian Lynch's Toy Academy series, that are ready for a more involved book, this is the book to give them. Spark is a wonderfully idealistic, eager young character, waiting to be called upon for her moment; Sir Reginald is a world-weary warrior with much to pass along to his student. Loretta and Matthew are burgeoning filmmakers with their own YouTube channel, so there's some filmmaking tidbits here and there that could link up nicely with some Summer Reading programming involving filmmaking, maybe on a cell phone.

Spark and the League of Ursus is a good first fantasy novel to give to readers who are looking for something new, and a good fantasy novel to give to readers who may need that reassurance that it's still okay to love a teddy bear. (I do.) Have Stranger Things fans? Give them this one, too - that monster can surely come from The Upside Down.

This was absolutely wonderful.

A strange creature is kidnapping the children, but only the teddy bears understand what is happening. Spark must fight with her friends in order to save her human, and follow the League's code. This is a great novel for kids about the importance of friends, about being scared of the dark, and about having the protector around even when you think you're too old for them. This makes me think of all the times my child needs to have their specific animal friend with them because the dark has one too many shadows at night. This reminds me of my own bear, which is still in a place of honor, and therefore I hope the final light has not been reached for them. This reminds me of my mother's teddy bear, which she still has even though it has been worn through. This is about the importance of childhood, about believing those that have a different voice, and that even if you're little, unprepared, and afraid, you can still defeat the monsters in the dark. I can't wait to see the illustrations when this is published, because this book is amazing. I can't wait to read it to my kids.

Copy provided by NetGalley.

I'm don't remember what it was about this book that caught my interest but it was a really enjoyable read.

Every child knows the comfort of a teddy bear, especially against the monsters under the bed, but few people know that teddy bears have a league (the League of Ursus) in which the teddy bear is the defender of the home and children in the house. Against all manner of closet monsters and under-the-bed creatures, the teddy bear is charged with protecting his family. But monsters come in all shapes and sizes and when a monster of a new sort comes into the home - a sort that brings local police - the teddy bear Spark will do all she can to protect the child who loved her to life.

Despite having an initial attraction to request this book, I also had some hesitation. I've had a few bad experiences reading books about teddy bears in the past few years so I was a bit gun-shy. But immediately author Robert Repino sets the stage for this hidden world of active teddy bears and I was hooked.

Spark is a young teddy bear and this really works well. In addition to making this character more relate-able to the young reader, it is a clever means to provide the reader with more background information. Spark is facing something pretty fierce, so she calls upon her mentor, Sir Reginald, who is able to offer some perspective and advice, which fill sin a lot of back story.

The subject matter here is actually pretty intense, and the teddy bears can be awfully fierce, but ... they're teddy bears. How can we feel too terrified when we're talking about teddy bears?

There is a lot about this book that should really appeal to some middle graders. I can't help but wonder if the fact that these <em>are</em> teddy bears will make this seem too 'childish' for some of the readers while the subject is a little too strong for the younger, teddy bear-aged readers.

Looking for a good book? <em>Spark and the League of Ursus</em> by Robert Repino is an action-packed, dark fantasy for young readers. Be prepared to talk to your child about some of the themes after reading this.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 stars.

A really great concept, with fantastic characters. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the bears and how they each took on the traits of their owners. I also enjoyed Spark's character development within the story from straight laced, naive bear to a born leader, bold and true. This is a very entertaining, at times dark, adventure that will lead the reader on a journey through fear, strife and bravery.

If I have any criticism at all, it would be that at times there were some unnecessary explanations which detracted from the story itself. This caused a paragraph to drag a little, and make it too trudgy, interrupting the flow.

Spark seems like an ordinary teddy bear, until the lights are out and everyone is asleep - or until danger strikes. As a stuffed bear she is part of the League of Ursus and pledged to defend her dusa (the child who has loved her to life), Loretta. Spark's mentor, Sir Reginald, is the guardian of Loretta's older brother, Matthew When a mysterious creature begins carrying off children from their neighborhood, Spark and Sir Reginald go into action. As brave as they may be, can a few toys hope to defeat something that even adults can't fight?

This is a book that combines elements from many beloved stories. The toys come to life through the love of a child, much like The Velveteen Rabbit. They only move and talk to each other when no humans are around, or are asleep - like in "Toy Story." A nod to "Monsters Inc." has the defenders talking about monsters that feed on human fear. The children are involved in film-making contests and refer to favorite movies such as "Jaws" and "The Empire Strikes Back." The League of Ursus itself is a sort of gathering of knights like Camelot, out to defend the vulnerable and stand back to back against the darkness. In this case that darkness is after children with imagination, similar to the way the Emperor always wants to seduce away young Jedi to the dark side.

If you enjoy stories with a fantasy element, especially a secret world that wakes while we sleep, then try out the tale of Spark.