Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Superb family tale of loss has mystery, folklore, sadness.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In WHEN YOU TRAP A TIGER, Lily and her big sister, Sam, leave California to go live with their halmoni (grandmother). The sisters had lives in California (especially 14-year-old Sam), and they aren't exactly excited that their mother made the decision without telling them. But the girls suspect that their mother isn't telling them everything about what's going on with Halmoni. Lily wants to get to the bottom of it, but Mom isn't budging, Sam doesn't want to help, and there seems to be a magical tiger that may or may not want to eat Halmoni, just like in the old Korean folktales Halmoni would tell them when they were much younger children. The only problem is, Lily is the only one who sees the tiger. With the help of a new friend, some luck, and perseverance, Lily is determined to trap this tiger once and for all. What's the worst that could happen?
Is It Any Good?
There's a kind of magic in this book that goes beyond the sum of its parts: a coming-of-age story; an #ownvoices narrative of loss, grief, and triumph; and a modern folktale all in one. When You Trap a Tiger has a strong girl lead who's brave, complex, and diligent, and a strong representation and depiction of Korean American home life, culture, and traditions. There's mystery, intrigue, and plenty of reasons to race through the pages. The writing is fast, genuine, and rich, and there are plenty of references to Korean and American folklore. By the end, it isn't merely a story of losing family, but a story about what happens when you keep the stories of others alive, stories of people, family, difficulty, success, tragedy, and the future. In a way, it's a kind of new folktale that merges old ideas with modern ones, blends Korean mythology with modern American folklore, and achieves a kind of beauty all its own. Subtle nods to Where the Wild Things Are, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and Goodnight Moon appear in Lily's remembering of Halmoni's Korean folklore stories, creating a kind of meta-narrative where this novel is doing what its story is about. When You Trap a Tiger shows how you can make new stories and new folklore your own. Be aware, though: It packs a serious emotional punch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how When You Trap a Tiger explores grief and sadness. Each family member is shown dealing with them in different ways. How does Lily's journey differ from her sister Sam's or their mother's?
Why might Lily's older sister, Sam, have a complicated reason for calling her younger sister a "QAG," or "Quiet Asian Girl"? How does Lily's view of this term change over the course of her journey?
Do you think Lily and her family are the descendants of the people in Halmoni's stories? Do you think the magical tiger is real? Do these questions matter? Why, or why not?
Book Details
- Author: Tae Keller
- Genre: Family Life
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Brothers and Sisters , Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: January 28, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 304
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: Newbery Medal and Honors
- Last updated: September 27, 2021
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