When You Trap a Tiger

by Tae Keller

New York Times Best Selling Author

Newbury Medal Winner

Publisher: Yearling

Audience: 9-11 years old

Reading Level: Grade 3-7

This novel follows the story of Lily, a young Korean American girl, who moves in with her sick grandmother and sister. Lily discovers a magical tiger who offers her a deal: in exchange for healing her grandmother, Lily must return what her grandmother stole from the tiger years ago. As Lily delves into her family's past, she uncovers the truth about her grandmother's past, Korean folklore, and the importance of stories. Through her journey, Lily learns about the complexities of truth, forgiveness, and the power of storytelling to connect generations and heal wounds.

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Key Words

Vocabulary Words

Talisman: An object believed to have magical properties and bring good luck or protection to its owner.

Anecdote: A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Resilience: The ability to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Allegory: A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Legacy: Something handed down or received from an ancestor or predecessor; inheritance.

Conundrum: A confusing and difficult problem or question.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

This standard relates to the book as it encourages students to analyze the text for its themes, including how characters respond to challenges presented in the story. "When You Trap a Tiger" explores themes such as family, courage, and storytelling, and analyzing these themes can deepen students' understanding of the text.

Suggested Delivery

Independent read or read aloud

Can also be used to make connections with social studies

Reading Strategies

Before Reading: Introduce the students to the KWL Chart (Know, Want to know, and learned) Have students brainstorm what they already know about tigers, Korean culture, and folklore (the "K" column). Then, ask them to list questions or things they want to learn from the novel (the "W" column). Also engage students in making predictions about the story based on the title, cover, and any information they have gathered. What do they think the story will be about? What themes or messages do they anticipate?

During Reading: While reading have students make connections with elements of the novel that they may relate to. Help them identify similarities and differences between the characters' experiences and their own, as well as connections to other texts, current events, or historical events.

Writing Assignment

Storytelling and Folklore Exploration:

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