You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
I loved this so much; the writing is fun, touching, and full of unique imagery. When You Trap a Tiger is a beautiful magical realism story surrounding Korean folklore exploring several themes. Sisterhood. How remembering the good and bad, and embracing the different aspects of ourselves, help us define who we want to be in the present. That we all have a story worth telling. We all have our own special superpower. And that "Sometimes, believing is the bravest thing of all." I also didn't expect to cry, so I recommend keeping tissues nearby.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
enjoyed but not memorable to me
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Car accident
Minor: Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely enjoyed this book! It took me on a ride and had such a great lesson and conclusion at the end. I enjoyed learning about Lily and her eccentric Halmoni that she loves so much. The way that Tae Keller was able to create such rich characters and magical spirit world in so little pages was amazing to me. I absolutely loved how she drew directly from the stories and folklore of her childhood and spoke about the importance of women and keeping the story of your family alive through generations. I'll definitely be looking forward to any other books she writes. I won't spoil the ending, but I'll just say that it was satisfying and tied up any loose ends.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was recommended to me by a friend, which I am grateful for, as I probably would have overlooked this otherwise. For some reason the cover copy does not use the word Korean anywhere, despite the magical talking tigers and the grandmother named Halmoni (Korean for grandmother). It seems an odd choice?
This was a family read-aloud for story time. It is full of good sibling feels and is all about the power of stories -- as well as the traditions passed down and lost between generations. A lovely middle-grade adventure.
This was a family read-aloud for story time. It is full of good sibling feels and is all about the power of stories -- as well as the traditions passed down and lost between generations. A lovely middle-grade adventure.
emotional
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
This story definitely got the best of my emotions towards the very end ðŸ˜âœ¨ðŸ’œ What a worthy novel of the Newberry Medal - it had many stories intertwined that made sense with what was happening in the present with Lily and her family. The journey that Lily goes on to understand why the tiger shows up in the beginning to trying to save her halmoni’s health throughout is very heartwarming and I was left with all sorts of feelings by the end. I really enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read more by Tae Keller!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death