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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
2. The magical elements overshadow the heart of the story. I am not sure the intended audience will piece it together without guidance due to how distracting these elements can be.
Greta Jung does a great job narrating.
Greta Jung does a great job narrating.
I'm always a fan for a good Newberry Award read, and this doesn't disappoint.
Lily is an eight year old Korean-American child who's family recently and suddenly moves away from California to be near her halmoni (grandmother) in Washington.
Lily's Halmony lives in an old house on the hill. The townsfolk call her a witch, but in reality, halmony is a healer, creating concoctions to help the community. She is well loved for her eccentricity and her stories. Including stories of tigers. She warns Lily how Tigers cannot be trusted.
Except halmony stole stories from the Tigers. And the tigers want them back. Halmony is sick, and the tiger claims it can help heal her in exchange for the tales...Lily must be brave. But how do you trap a magical tiger? How do you save your family?
Lily may be young, but she faces adult circumstances -- courage in the face of uncertainty, perseverance in the midst of despair, and leaning on personal and cultural integrity in the midst of loss and grief.
I loved this book. Rich in character development, relevant to many life experiences, excellent themes and clever story, it's one I could see reading again and again. I also want to explore Korean folk-tales now too. <3
Lily is an eight year old Korean-American child who's family recently and suddenly moves away from California to be near her halmoni (grandmother) in Washington.
Lily's Halmony lives in an old house on the hill. The townsfolk call her a witch, but in reality, halmony is a healer, creating concoctions to help the community. She is well loved for her eccentricity and her stories. Including stories of tigers. She warns Lily how Tigers cannot be trusted.
Except halmony stole stories from the Tigers. And the tigers want them back. Halmony is sick, and the tiger claims it can help heal her in exchange for the tales...Lily must be brave. But how do you trap a magical tiger? How do you save your family?
Lily may be young, but she faces adult circumstances -- courage in the face of uncertainty, perseverance in the midst of despair, and leaning on personal and cultural integrity in the midst of loss and grief.
I loved this book. Rich in character development, relevant to many life experiences, excellent themes and clever story, it's one I could see reading again and again. I also want to explore Korean folk-tales now too. <3
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Ah, this made me cry. Having lost my grandfather to cancer last year, the pain is still fresh and vivid and so this book just brought all those feelings up to the surface. But aside from that, I thought this was a fantastic middle grade story. I loved the variations of the traditional Korean myths and how the author made them relevant to the characters. I also like how the magical part of it wasn't ever really explained or addressed, but isn't that how childhood is sometimes?
The sister relationship reminded me a little of my own, what with the older sister being many years older and therefore beginning to distance herself from her younger sister, but still wanting to be a part of her life (plus, my sister's name is Sam, and the older sister in the book is named Sam, so it really felt like I was Lily). I'll be keeping my eye on this author to see if she continues to write.
The sister relationship reminded me a little of my own, what with the older sister being many years older and therefore beginning to distance herself from her younger sister, but still wanting to be a part of her life (plus, my sister's name is Sam, and the older sister in the book is named Sam, so it really felt like I was Lily). I'll be keeping my eye on this author to see if she continues to write.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
"invisibility" super power - shy and quiet
friends that "stick" - Ricky
public library
QAG = Quiet Asian Girl
father died in car accident when Lily was 2, grandmother dies of brain cancer
Lily's relationship with her mom and older sister
friends that "stick" - Ricky
public library
QAG = Quiet Asian Girl
father died in car accident when Lily was 2, grandmother dies of brain cancer
Lily's relationship with her mom and older sister
adventurous
reflective
Folklore is one of my favorite genres. While this isn't folklore, it leans into it heavily as the main character uses the stories of her grandmother to understand the world around her. A wonderful balance of realistic characters dealing with threats, some fantastical and some very real. Well crafted and worthy of the honors and praise it has collected.