When You Trap a Tiger

★ ★ ★ ★ ★  5/5

I knew this would be a great story, but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I do. This middle-grade magical realism book shows the importance of our personal stories and how although it requires vulnerability to share them, it also gives us strength. 

This story also teaches so many vital life lessons: the power of family, being brave when life gets sad or difficult, and the magic of our beliefs. No wonder it won the Newbery Medal! It’s not just for kids though; it’s also for adults! I will definitely read it again and share it with others 🤗📖

❝When you believe, that is you being brave. Sometime, believing is the bravest thing of all.❞

— Halmoni

Newbery Medal Winner (2021)

Some stories refuse to stay bottled up...

When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal--return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health--Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice...and the courage to face a tiger.