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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
So cute! Reminded me of the magic when I was younger. Took me forever to read, though.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Dementia
This was an enchanting, sad, and hopeful story. Glad it won the Newbery.
4.5/5
4.5/5
Great middle grade book! Excited to start this as our next read aloud with my students!
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
This book was beautiful. I absolutely loved that you didn't know what was real, and what was imagined, but the feelings were SO real.
This was such an amazing story. I enjoyed the magic and mystery of Korean folklore that was weaved into a story of a difficult time for a young girl and her family to go through. Be ready with some tissues when you get close to the end -- this one will make you cry.
I was in a bit of a reading slump when this book came to me from the publisher via a member of my reading group. I’ll be forever grateful that it did.
You never know what a book will truly be for you until you read it. It might give you the gift of humor. It might show you the world in a new way. Or it might help heal a part of you that is broken.
Sure, I could describe When You Trap a Tiger as MG magical realism. But when a book acts as a window and a mirror (Sims Bishop, 1990) simultaneously, well, that’s something quite special.
I know very little about Korean culture, and nothing about the folktales within. I loved hearing the stories of the gods and myths of Korean folklore, and of the quiet inner strength of the Korean women. What heroes they were and are. This book made me want to read more about Korea so that its “single story” - in my brain, at least - doesn’t come from a 70s TV show.
As for the mirror, I lost my grama 3 years ago this month, and my sweet mom almost exactly a year later. September is a rough time for me. As Keller writes (and I paraphrase): the sadness may lessen, but the missing never does. My mom & grama were complicated: fierce, brave women, but also often scared and closed off. I saw them as the latter as they were dying, but this book showed me their bravery in a whole new light.
Thank you, Tae Keller, for this remarkable book. Ironically, this site has us rate books with stars. But this story is from the stars; thus, I’d rate it infinitely.
You never know what a book will truly be for you until you read it. It might give you the gift of humor. It might show you the world in a new way. Or it might help heal a part of you that is broken.
Sure, I could describe When You Trap a Tiger as MG magical realism. But when a book acts as a window and a mirror (Sims Bishop, 1990) simultaneously, well, that’s something quite special.
I know very little about Korean culture, and nothing about the folktales within. I loved hearing the stories of the gods and myths of Korean folklore, and of the quiet inner strength of the Korean women. What heroes they were and are. This book made me want to read more about Korea so that its “single story” - in my brain, at least - doesn’t come from a 70s TV show.
As for the mirror, I lost my grama 3 years ago this month, and my sweet mom almost exactly a year later. September is a rough time for me. As Keller writes (and I paraphrase): the sadness may lessen, but the missing never does. My mom & grama were complicated: fierce, brave women, but also often scared and closed off. I saw them as the latter as they were dying, but this book showed me their bravery in a whole new light.
Thank you, Tae Keller, for this remarkable book. Ironically, this site has us rate books with stars. But this story is from the stars; thus, I’d rate it infinitely.
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes