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When You Trap a Tiger
CCBC Review:
When biracial (Korean/white) Lily, her older sister Sam, and their mom move to Washington state to live with their halmoni, who is sick, Lily begins seeing a large tiger, which demands Lily open the jars in Halmoni’s basement and release the stories inside. Like Halmoni, Lily believes in magic. Although she knows tigers are tricksters in Korean tales, Lily says she’ll release the stories if the tiger will make Halmoni better. Lily is also trying to acclimate to their new life, a challenge made harder because teenage Sam, with whom she used to be close, seems angry all the time, while their mother is overwhelmed by Halmoni’s illness--slowly revealed to be a brain tumor that impacts Halmoni’s behavior, and only seems to amplify the differences between them. The small-town library is the source of a quirky new friend for Lily, a hopeful new beginning for Sam, and another perspective on Halmoni who, it turns out, has been a central figure in the community for years, known for sharing traditional Korean stories, food, and healing—all things Lily thought might not have a place in the predominantly white small town. The tiger, meanwhile, proves benevolent, not a trickster: The stories it wants released are painful memories Halmoni locked away: of her childhood in Korea, and loss through separation and immigration. In this moving, masterfully paced tale, Lily discovers healing can happen in the heart and mind, even when a body can’t endure. ©2020 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Asian Americans
Families
Folk and Fairy Tales
Grandmothers
Grief and Loss
Immigration and Immigrants
Koreans and Korean Americans
Trauma
Diversity subject:
Asian
On CCBC Booklist:
Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin
Publisher:
Random House
Publish Year: 2020
Pages: 297
ISBN: 9781524715700
CCBC Location: Fiction, Keller