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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Ok, I know this book won the Newbery award but for the first 6 hours (of the just over 7 hour audiobook) I could’ve cared less about finishing the book. I just didn’t find it engaging and didn’t care about the what was going on/happening (with the exception of sympathy for the dying grandmother). I just didn’t care for it. The final hour was powerful and worth finishing the book since I’d started it.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An absolutely beautiful story about family, generational trauma, sisterhood and loss. Although this is a "middle grade" book I still found it impactful and we'll written.
This story follows a young girl whose family moves from California to the east coast to live with their grandma or Halmoni. Halmoni is ill and the young girl does everything she can to keep her alive and well, which means talking to a magical tiger.
The magical realism was done so well. Nothing was so over the top and it was alluded to that the magic was really just inside her head the whole time.
My favorite thing about this book was the emphasis on how important stories are. They hold so much weight and can change ones perspective. Also, stories and their meanings can change as you change and grow.
This story follows a young girl whose family moves from California to the east coast to live with their grandma or Halmoni. Halmoni is ill and the young girl does everything she can to keep her alive and well, which means talking to a magical tiger.
The magical realism was done so well. Nothing was so over the top and it was alluded to that the magic was really just inside her head the whole time.
My favorite thing about this book was the emphasis on how important stories are. They hold so much weight and can change ones perspective. Also, stories and their meanings can change as you change and grow.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-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
A lovely tale of the power of stories. Keller skillfully and slowly reveals why their mother has moved Lily and Sam back to Halmoni's house for the summer. Her grandmother's traditional stories haunt Lily, and she is determined to save her, even if it means laying a trap for a tiger. I loved the librarian and the new friends they make.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
This reads as a middle grade novel (I’m assuming this is) or super young adult however it’s deeply impactful and I would recommend this to anyone who has a fifth, sixth or seventh grader looking to branch out in their reading. Some parts may have needed to be tightened or a little bit more consistent but overall, a stand-alone that holds its own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death, Death of parent
How many times did I come close to tears while listening to this book? Let me count... 1, 2, 3, ..... 37, 38, ... Okay, I can't actually put a specific number on it, but it was a lot. There was so much going on in this novel that started out as a simple story with a tiger spirit. The feelings that Lily was dealing with, both before and after she found out her grandmother was sick, and the tension that was always there between her and Sam were so realistic that I found myself tearing up or having a catch in my throat so many times.
The feelings that are evoked by Lily's simple desire to make her grandmother better, and how she deals with what happens as she tries to achieve her goal, were beautifully written. Then, to intersperse all of that with the stories that we got to hear, both from the grandmother and the tiger, were beautiful.
Because I have seen so many other reviews complain about this, I want to address the information that comes up about Sam at the end.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Greta Jung. I thought she did a wonderful job, and I really appreciated hearing someone pronounce the Korean words so that, when I pick up the book to read again, I will know how they are pronounced.
The feelings that are evoked by Lily's simple desire to make her grandmother better, and how she deals with what happens as she tries to achieve her goal, were beautifully written. Then, to intersperse all of that with the stories that we got to hear, both from the grandmother and the tiger, were beautiful.
Because I have seen so many other reviews complain about this, I want to address the information that comes up about Sam at the end.
Spoiler
Yes, it is revealed that she is lesbian. No, it was not just "thrown in there" or "included to be politically correct." A person's sexuality doesn't have to be plot-relevant to be included. LGBTQ+ people exist, everywhere. Let them exist. And, for those who are grabbing their pearls over a MG book having a lesbian in it, children of all ages have siblings who identify as LGBTQ+; why should they not be represented in the literature, too? Sam is a teenager, so it is perfectly normal that she would be discovering who she is - and that includes her sexual identity!For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Greta Jung. I thought she did a wonderful job, and I really appreciated hearing someone pronounce the Korean words so that, when I pick up the book to read again, I will know how they are pronounced.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I absolutely adored this Newbery award winning story! It's delightful, sad, illuminating, thought-provoking, and has ALL the feels. My slight expectations is that this would be a fluffy kids story.
I was wrong. It is written for a kids' level, but its message is deep and meaningful. And yet it doesn't hit you over the head with spelling out the 'moral' of the story. Instead the events lead you gently to the lessons that can be learned.
I loved how Eggi (Lily, the younger daughter) grew, how she learned about herself and came into herself through the difficult time of her grandmother's illness and dying. I loved the Korean cultural notes throughout the story. I just loved this story.
I was wrong. It is written for a kids' level, but its message is deep and meaningful. And yet it doesn't hit you over the head with spelling out the 'moral' of the story. Instead the events lead you gently to the lessons that can be learned.
I loved how Eggi (Lily, the younger daughter) grew, how she learned about herself and came into herself through the difficult time of her grandmother's illness and dying. I loved the Korean cultural notes throughout the story. I just loved this story.
emotional
hopeful
sad