When You Trap A Tiger: A Journey into Magical Realism
Hello! I'm Sloane, and I am reviewing When You Trap A Tiger by Tae Keller. I read this book a few years ago, and was reminded of it when I saw it sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to be opened again. Although it's mostly intended for middle-grade readers, it's a fantastic book!
Our main character is Lily. At the beginning of the book, Lily goes with her mother and sister to move in with her grandmother, or her halmoni. They had been living in California, and decided to move because Lily's halmoni is ill. When a magical tiger presents herself from her halmoni's Korean folklore, and her halmoni reveals that she stole something from the tigers, Lily has to uncover more hidden secrets buried deep in time. She makes a new friend and hatches a plan to trap the tiger, in hopes she'll get answers to heal her halmoni. Lily stands up for herself after being invisible for so long, occasionally accompanied by the mysterious, riddle-speaking tiger. I also enjoyed Lily's narration and the side stories of the other characters, such as Sam, Lily's sister.
As someone who loves fantasy novels, one thing I love about this book is its elements of magical realism. It could almost be considered realistic fiction, but the fact that there is a literal magical speaking tiger adds a mystical spark to the story, emphasizing the themes with this supernatural element. It's the kind of magic where, after finishing the book, you start to think: "Wait, did that really happen? Or was it all a huge metaphor?" The ending left me shocked, and you know what it feels like to finish a book, especially one with a shocking ending.
Overall, When You Trap A Tiger is a captivating book filled with magic and stories. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy or realistic fiction. I had a fun time revisiting and reviewing this book!
- Sloane
I like how you described the book as having elements of magical realism. I thought that description was interesting because it talks about how the book could be realistic fiction, but there is also supernatural elements. I also enjoyed how you introduced us to the possibility of the supernatural elements being a metaphor or if they actually happened in the story. That offers a unique perspective that is up to the reader to interpret.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of your thoughts! I find it really interesting about how the book could be classified as realistic fiction, but also incorporates some supernatural elements.
DeleteOh my gosh, this sounds like such an exciting book! But seriously, does the protagonist ever catch a tiger in a bottle as the cover implies, or does she just talk to them nicely, or something...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read, I will definitely read it when I have the chance!
I'm a fan of fantasy novels, and this book sounds very interesting. I wonder how the protagonist tries to "trap" the tiger, and why her halmoni stole something from the tigers. I also wonder if the book incorporates more Korean folklore than just the tigers, similar to the Kane Chronicles. I'll read it and find out when I get the chance.
ReplyDeleteIn Korean folklore, there's a story about a grandmother who gives rice cakes to a tiger to prevent it from eating her. I wonder if the plot of this story has anything to do with that story. Overall, the book sounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteHuh. Is there a place I can view this entire story?
DeleteHey Sloane! From how you've described this book, it definitely sounds entertaining and like a fun-easy read to relax and spend your free time on. Although, you did catch me a little off guard when you were hopping from various topics, for example going from explaining why they moved, and then out of the blue saying the main character turned invisible. I guess that's something I'll only find out if I read it! And I'm sure your review has sparked it's own little magic ideas in many of your readers.
ReplyDeleteWow! This book sounds like a great story! I find it especially interesting when you say that "Lily stands up for herself after being invisible for so long". You said there were magical elements so did Lily really turn invisible or is it just a metaphor? Either way this seems like a great book!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really interesting, I'll have to look further into it! The way you described the book makes it sound more intriguing as well!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sloane! This is a great book, I read it last year, and you described it really well! I kind of want to reread it now :D
ReplyDeleteHey Sloane! When You Trap a Tiger sounds like a really interesting book! I love fiction and anything involving magic, so I'll try to check this book out!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really good! I love that you said there was a "shocking ending." It makes me want to read the book even more!
ReplyDelete(Comment written by Naomi)
ReplyDeleteHi Sloane! Wow, that sounds like such an amazing book. Your description of the book interested me. Realistic fiction is probably my favorite genre, but fantasy is really cool too. From the way you described it, it seems like the story has elements of both. I'll have to check it out sometime!