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mystifiedbulb22's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
An enjoyable adventure aimed at a younger audience that boldly doesn't shy away from intense topics such as capital punishment, colonialism, and slavery.
beckytrev's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
katykelly's review
4.0
Fantasy, alternate-history and a bit of Life of Pi.
I couldn't place the time period of this children's novel, it could be a few hundred years ago at times, but it could be almost now, though we get a hint that this is closer to the mark when we learn that slavery was never abolished.
With that in mind, the lives of the children in Tyger are all the more poignant captured, with Adam and Zadie hiding their faces and the colour of their skin, lest they become the target for taunts or worse.
In London, Adam delivers for his parents' business, dreaming of being an artist but forbidden from such dreams. Accidentally meeting a strange animal, an unknown 'tyger' hiding in the city from hunters, the possibilities of the world are opened up to him. Until he finds that the wounded animal is wanted by Maldehyde. He knows he must protect his new mentor/friend, and neighbour Zadie, herself the daughter of immigrants becomes his co-conspirator and partner as they brave the dangers of the enemy, society's prejudice and their position in the world to help the Tyger.
A little too fantastical for me at times, I like dystopian worlds and alternate realities. The audiobook put me off a bit, with the voices of the characters, I didn't warm to them really. I've read Said before, and was interested in his new title, but it's not a genre I usually reach for.
I do however see its merits, the imagination, the adventure. A Scout Finch 'Mockingbird' scene older readers might recognise. There are lessons here to take away, and worlds to conjure.
For ages 9-13.
I couldn't place the time period of this children's novel, it could be a few hundred years ago at times, but it could be almost now, though we get a hint that this is closer to the mark when we learn that slavery was never abolished.
With that in mind, the lives of the children in Tyger are all the more poignant captured, with Adam and Zadie hiding their faces and the colour of their skin, lest they become the target for taunts or worse.
In London, Adam delivers for his parents' business, dreaming of being an artist but forbidden from such dreams. Accidentally meeting a strange animal, an unknown 'tyger' hiding in the city from hunters, the possibilities of the world are opened up to him. Until he finds that the wounded animal is wanted by Maldehyde. He knows he must protect his new mentor/friend, and neighbour Zadie, herself the daughter of immigrants becomes his co-conspirator and partner as they brave the dangers of the enemy, society's prejudice and their position in the world to help the Tyger.
A little too fantastical for me at times, I like dystopian worlds and alternate realities. The audiobook put me off a bit, with the voices of the characters, I didn't warm to them really. I've read Said before, and was interested in his new title, but it's not a genre I usually reach for.
I do however see its merits, the imagination, the adventure. A Scout Finch 'Mockingbird' scene older readers might recognise. There are lessons here to take away, and worlds to conjure.
For ages 9-13.
mis_chievous's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
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
3.75
katiethegiraffe's review
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lizzillia's review
4.5
Longlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2024. This book also won the 2023 British Book Award for Children's Fiction Book of the Year. This book gave me William Blake vibes with its ideas of spirituality, and of course Tyger. Set in an alternative history, we are in a London where the Empire never ended, where slavery was never abolished, where 'foreigners' live in a ghetto and the rich and powerful control everything. Although London born, because of their parentage, Adam and Zadie are made to feel like outsiders in a world where the rich spit upon those who are different and who hang those who cannot repay debts. When Adam finds a mythical creature - Tyger - who is not only injured but is also being hunted, a friendship grows. Tyger leads Adam, and Zadie, on a spiritual journey to help them to unlock the powers that are inside them and once these powers/these gifts have been awakened, then the two children have to display the utmost courage to protect Tyger and to help her to reach safety as a mob rages through the city, determined to rid the city of the 'foreigner', blaming them for the oppression that they live under, when in truth it is the lords and ladies, the pale men in charge who are the oppressors and not those in the ghetto. There is a magic in this story, and the illustrations are gorgeous. And of course - we have Tyger, and aren't all stories better with a tiger in them? The book is listed as being for 8-12s but I wonder, because of the execution scenes in here and themes of racism and prejudice, 8 might be a little too young.
fiona8768's review
3.0
A dark story set in London with a lot of slavery and racism, I feel like I had a lot of unanswered questions and the main 'enemy' of the story didn't have a lot of depth. However, the illustrations throughout the book were beautiful.
scott_you_reading's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
booknerdjo's review
4.0
This is a very lyrical and magical book, inspired heavily by the works of William Blake - not just The Tyger but also London, a poem which highlights the poverty and inequality of Victorian London.
The book is set in a version of 21st century London in a world where slavery was never abolished and London is a filthy industrial city, where foreigners all live in a ghetto and the power and wealth is wielded by a handful of rich white men.
In a rubbish dump in the centre of London, Adam finds a Tyger - a creature long extinct. But this is no ordinary Tyger - she is an immortal, and she teaches Adam and his friend Zadie how to use the powers within themselves to reconnect their world with infinite other worlds and thus restore balance and save their civilisation.
Beautifully written and illustrated, it is a story about how we are all part of something bigger and how important these connections are. It is also about friendship, freedom and using the power inside you to make the world a better place.
The book is set in a version of 21st century London in a world where slavery was never abolished and London is a filthy industrial city, where foreigners all live in a ghetto and the power and wealth is wielded by a handful of rich white men.
In a rubbish dump in the centre of London, Adam finds a Tyger - a creature long extinct. But this is no ordinary Tyger - she is an immortal, and she teaches Adam and his friend Zadie how to use the powers within themselves to reconnect their world with infinite other worlds and thus restore balance and save their civilisation.
Beautifully written and illustrated, it is a story about how we are all part of something bigger and how important these connections are. It is also about friendship, freedom and using the power inside you to make the world a better place.