When You Trap a Tiger Book Review
















When You Trap a Tiger

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tae Keller. (2020). When You Trap a Tiger. Random House. ISBN: 978-1-52471-573-1

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Lily, her sister Sam, and their mom are moving in with their sick grandmother who lives out of state. Lily and Sam’s dad died and nothing has been the same. Lily has an “invisible” power which is just being shy. Sam, on the other hand, is outspoken and brash. Going back to Halmoni’s house brings back fond memories of Korean tales and wonderful food. Only they are met with a mere shell of what Halmoni used to be. Lily sees a tiger about which no one else can see. She tells Halmoni who tells Lily about how she stole stories from the tigers and they are trying to find her. Lily uses her inner strength to try to strike a deal with the tiger. The stories will be exchanged for Halmoni’s health. Through all of this, Lily is making new friends, finding her inner strength, and trying to reconnect with her sister. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Tae Keller captures the imagination of Korean folktales in a way that makes them come to life in When You Trap a Tiger. The characters are easily identifiable to the audience since they are about the same age. Halmoni is portrayed as a flamboyant grandma whom everyone loves. Mom is characterized as a typical mother that readers will relate to. The bond between Lily and Halmoni creates a kinship felt by the reader. The plot is believable because kids who move go through a lot of emotions. Also, it moves at a good pace keeping readers interested. Lily's quest with the tiger to cure her grandmother is original. The setting sets the tone for the dreariness of Washington state. This spills over to the mood of Sam and Halmoni’s illness. The description of the setting helps the reader visualize the surroundings. The overall theme is love. It is shown by the sisters’ bond, their mother’s love for them and her mom, and Halmoni’s love for her daughter and granddaughters. After Lily confronts the tiger to cure her grandmother, she learns that she will be healed in death. The style is consistent in that readers are drawn into the fantasy of Korean folktales. There are no illustrations in the book, but it does not need any as the descriptions are very detailed. This book won the 2021 Newberry Award. 


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist starred (November 1, 2019 (Vol. 116, No. 5))

Grades 3-6. If stories were written in the stars and guarded by tigers, this wondrous tale would be one of the brightest. Lily is happy when she, her mom, and sister, Sam, move, because it means they will spend more time with their grandmother, their halmoni, whose life is full of magic. Halmoni has always told beautiful stories about clever sisters and equally clever tigers—not to be trusted—but Lily soon finds that life is not how she expected it to be. Sam isn’t so happy about the move, and worse, Halmoni is very sick, so when a tiger appears to Lily, offering her a deal, she thinks it could be what saves her grandmother. Lily’s magical-realist world, rooted in Korean folklore, will envelop readers as she deals with growing up and—at times—apart from her sister, finding new friends, and coping with her grandmother's illness. Keller’s characters—from Halmoni, who dresses up to go grocery shopping, to Sam, who hides her own heartbreaks—will have readers wishing they were real. Every chapter is filled with a richness and magic that demands every word be treasured, a heartfelt reminder of the wonder and beauty in our everyday lives. Readers young and old will want to trap this story in a jar forever.

5. CONNECTIONS

Related books:

Cuevas, A. (2020). The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). ISBN: 9780374313623

Dicamillo, K. (2020). Louisiana’s Way Home. Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9781536207996

Activities:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/When-You-Trap-a-Tiger-by-Tae-Keller-NO-Prep-Novel-Guide-6947207?st=b5db8e84c83fc72647877988f60c36d6






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