The newest Newbery Award winner When You Trap a Tiger is a wonderful blend of folktale, magic, and realistic fiction, told by sophomore writer Keller (that means it's her second book). I read this in bits and pieces - not on purpose, it just worked out that way - and I think that took away a little of the power of the overall story. Even with that element of distraction the story was really good, reminding me of some of my favorite stories by the likes of Kate DiCamillo and Linda Sue Park - two very good storytellers who could make almost anything super interesting!
Tiger is the story of Lily, her sister and mom, and their move from California to Washington to live with their ailing grandma. Lily navigates her Korean culture as well as her American side along with the move to a new state. She is very close to her halmoni (grandmother), and seems to share her intuitions for magical things. After spotting a tiger, Lily tries to strike a deal with this mythical creature to cure her grandmother. Does it work?
I can see why this was chosen for the Newbery Award - it has the elements of past winners. It also brings Korean culture into mainstream storytelling, which still does not happen as often as it should. Hopefully that will continue to evolve. While chopping through the early parts of this book I imagined giving it 4 paws, but once I settled into the last half of the story, it is a 5 paw book for sure! Check this out!
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