A Constellation of Minor BearsReview posted April 18, 2026.
Heartdrum, 2024. 8 hours, 51 minutes.
Review written March 2, 2026, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
So far, I love every book by Jen Ferguson I've read (or story - She had one in the award-winning Legendary Frybread Drive-in). I'm not quite sure what took me so long to get to this one, but it did help when we got the eaudiobook edition. As with all of her books, this is mostly about relationships between quirky characters who quickly find their way into your heart.
A Constellation of Minor Bears is about a group of teens hiking the Pacific Crest Trail after graduation. Well, that was the plan anyway. Molly and Tray did graduate, Molly at 17 years old, but Molly's brother Hank had a terrible accident that caused a traumatic brain injury earlier in the year, so he didn't graduate, and needs to do summer school instead. Tray is the best friend of both Molly and Hank, but Molly's been angry with him ever since Hank's accident. Because Tray was there and failed to stop Hank's fall.
But Molly has been icily polite. They need to talk things out and figure things out - and the Pacific Crest Trail is a good place to do so. Though Molly's doing a lot of hiding - including hiding from her parents that she's planning to keep hiking and not actually go to college in the Fall. But would that break the bargain she made with various gods to become a doctor if her brother woke up?
So, yes, Molly and Tray and Hank (our three viewpoint characters) have plenty to work through. And then along the way they encounter a fat girl who quickly befriends them - but needs their help. This book includes profound thoughts on fat phobia and ableist thinking, all in a realistic story setting. As well as issues from Molly and Tray being Métis, and Molly not feeling like she knows enough about what that means.
But above all, this was a book about characters I quickly came to care about in a setting that challenged them emotionally and physically.