There Will Be Bears by Ryan Beghart is a realistic fiction novel about a thirteen year-old teen who wants to kill an elk with his grandfather.

The first chapter of this novel is hilarious! It may be funnier to adults because we've already experienced something like this. Tyson's grandfather is his best friend because he's a really cool man, who has promised Tyson that they will go hunting now that he's old enough. Gramps has always been very knowledgeable about the great outdoors, and Tyson loves all of his stories. Tyson has also had a great best friend named Bright who shares his liking for Taylor Swift and being goofy. Things are changing. Gramps has gotten sick and Bright is hanging out with the cool kids and trying to be cool. Tyson is feeling left out, but he's okay with that because he plans on going hunting still. Then his parents say that he can't because Gramps isn't well enough and it's too dangerous with the bear attacks in the hunting area.

Tyson and Gramps decide they will go hunting anyway by lying to the parents. Meanwhile, Tyson has met Karen from Texas who is a hunter as well and likes Tyson. The hunting expedition has to happen so that he can update his picture online to a dead elk and himself to impress Karen and even Bright. Bright's not a bad kid; he's just making some bad choices, but there's hope that he hasn't forgotten his friendship with Tyson. Maybe Bright and his girlfriend can hand out with Tyson and Karen if all goes well.

This is a fun, quick reading novel that many guys will enjoy. Personally, I don't understand the desire to hunt, but I don't care that people hunt. We would have animals everywhere if hunters didn't thin out the herds. When the author describes how to field dress a killed elk, I found myself disgusted. Totally gross. ( )

This book is a roaring, bear, good time! I read it in a matter of a few short hours. It was that fun to read. I loved Tyson and Grandpa Gene. They were like Starsky and Hutch. They made a entertaining, good pair. The "pruning scene" was funny. I have drank prune juice before but never a full jug of it. I can imagine the horror and pain that Tyson and his grandfather were in on top of the white throne. Of course, I can not write my review without mentioning the hunt. It did not disappoint me. The hunt was good but the bear meet with Sandy, the big bear was scary. However not scary enough to give younger readers nightmares. ( )

For such serious subject matter, quite funny. Tyson wants to be a man, which in his family means elk hunting. But Gramps, who usually leads the trips, is in a nursing home. This book walks the line between middle grade and ya: the subject matter and some of the topics that arise are quite mature for a standard mg reader but the tone is firmly mg. If you're sharing with a younger reader, either read first or be open for discussions. ( )

Sneaking his roughneck grandfather out of a nursing home so that they can share an elk-hunting trip, thirteen-year-old Tyson ventures into the Grand Tetons only to discover that his grandfather may not be healthy enough for the journey. (taken from NoveList)