What might happen if you were to board a boat with a bear? In this amusing fantasy, a boy does just that, climbing aboard the Harriet and meeting its unusual furry captain (who can talk and brew a mean cup of tea, naturally). While the voyage begins a bit too slowly for the boy’s taste, he and the bear soon finds himself up to his ears in high adventure and what the bear refers to as “unforeseeable anomalies!” Between stormy seas, ghost ships, and sea monsters, the rash boy and the stoic bear must work together to survive their harrowing journey. Will the intrepid duo make it out alive? A Boy and a Bear in a Boat is just the right combination of fanciful and funny, and middle readers and younger listeners will enjoy the droll tale and its whimsical illustrations. 304 pages. Recommended by Molly Crumbley, Librarian, Maryland, USA. http://heyboobooks.tumblr.com