A Newbery Medal Winner
A Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature
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.
Age Range: 8-12 | Grade Level: 3-7 | Lexile Measure: 590L
“Roars to life with just a touch of magic.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“A heartfelt reminder of the wonder and beauty in our everyday lives.”
— Booklist (starred)
“Deeply moving . . . vulnerable and mythic storytelling in the vein of Erin Entrada Kelly and Kacen Callender.”
— School Library Journal (starred)
“Keller’s (The Science of Breakable Things) #OwnVoices journey through Korean mythology begins with a fantastical quest and slowly transforms into a tale about letting go and the immortality that story can allow.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred)
