At turns humorous and heartwarming, the story of an unlikely friendship between a girl and a bear set on the streets of San Francisco, perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate, Kate DiCamillo, and Rosanne Parry.

Mala doesn’t want to go to school. Not since the incident and afterwards when her best friend moved away. So instead of walking to school, like she’s supposed to, for the first day of fourth grade, Mala decides to do something daring: she’ll take a trolley to the beach instead! Everyone is happy at the beach, after all. Maybe she will be, too, and that heavy feeling that’s been following her around, can finally leave.

The last thing Mala expects is for her plans to be derailed by… a bear… a talking one.

The bear is on a mission of his own: he wants to visit all the famous places in San Francisco. Seeing the bear is already hopelessly lost, Mala offers to help him out. The most iconic sights are along the route to the beach, anyway. And besides, how often does one get the chance to explore the city with a talking bear? But unbeknownst to Mala, the local zoo is on the lookout for an escaped bear, and as the pair set out on their adventure, the authorities are quick on their heels.

Neither the bear nor Mala can run from their problems forever, but maybe, at this right time and in this right place, they’re just what the other needs.