Perkins, Mitali. Tiger Boy. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing, 2015.

Guide to Categories : MS Review – review of books for older elementary-aged and middle school-aged children

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Summary

“One of the new tiger cubs has escaped from the reserve!”

When a tiger cub escapes from a nature reserve near Neel’s island village, the rangers and villagers hurry to find her before the cub’s anxious mother follows suit and endangers them all. Mr. Gupta, a rich newcomer to the island, is also searching–he wants to sell the cub’s body parts on the black market. Neel and his sister, Rupa, resolve to find the cub first and bring her back to the reserve where she belongs.
The hunt for the cub interrupts Neel’s preparations for an exam to win a prestigious scholarship at a boarding school far from home. Neel doesn’t mind–he dreads the exam and would rather stay on his beloved island in the Sunderbans of West Bengal with his family and friends.
But through his encounter with the cub, Neil learns that sometimes you have to take risks to preserve what you love. And sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the chance to improve the future.
Awards & Honors
* Notable Books for a Global Society
* NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction (Honorable Mention)
* CBC-NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
* A Junior Library Guild Selection
* CCBC Choices
* North Dakota Library Association Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award nominee, intermediate fiction
* South Asia Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Purchase Tiger Boy on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3xEgjfj

My MS Review

Mitali Perkins has written a delightful story that introduces kids to a different culture – the story is set in the islands off India. Tiger Boy also shows the importance of tigers and how they are kept safe. Readers will also learn the role education plays in the lives of the young Indians in the story.

Baba (father) raised Neel (boy) and Rupa (girl) to respect nature, but he is trying to earn for the extras the family needs, even if it means he needs to do things counter to his beliefs. A tiger cub escapes from the nearby reserve. Baba’s boss was to catch it to sell and is willing to pay top dollar to the one who catches it for him. Neel met a ranger from the reserve who encouraged him to watch for the tiger cub and return it to the reserve. Neel and Rupa go against their father and hunt for the tiger cub. The other storyline in the book involves Neel, who is a very smart boy, competing for a scholarship to a boarding school. Until he gets involved in the tiger hunt he doesn’t see a need for continued education. But something switches in his brain and he starts putting forth the effort to win the scholarship.

Tiger Boy would be a great addition to a K-12 Christian school library. It is appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students. 

I received a complimentary copy of Tiger Boy. This is my honest review. 

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