When You Trap a Tiger: (Newbery Medal Winner)

Lily, along with her Mom and older sister Sam move in with her Halmoni (Korean for grandmother) who is terminally ill. Through traditional Korean folklore and stories, Lily learns more about her family and it's secrets. These stories also allow Lily along with her older sister to understand who

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they are and learn to accept loss in their lives.

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Lily is the easy-going child to temper her older sister Sam’s snarky attitude and keep the peace in their family, even if it means Lily sometimes ends up feeling invisible. The two sisters are moving with their mother back to their grandmother’s home when Lily thinks she sees a tiger in the

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street. Is it a hallucination or a premonition? Surely her larger-than-life grandmother will know the answer, as she has told Lily and Sam many stories, based on Korean folklore, that involve mysterious tigers.

This was such a magnificently written book, with every word and phrase placed perfectly. The evocative language casts beautiful imagery for the reader to see in their mind’s eye. Family dynamics and finding one’s true identity – all parts of it – are key themes explored throughout. While intensely sad at times, this title is also an intensely beautiful book that won’t be easily forgotten.

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This novel is a 2021 Lone Star novel. Personally, I would say it's almost a fable or resembling a Korean folk tale.

Lily and Sam's dad died in a car accident, so it's just been them and their mom. For a while, they lived with their Halmoni (grandmother) learning stories about Halmoni and the tiger

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before returning to live in California. Now, they have returned to live with her while their mom looks for a new job. Lily feels lost--she's trying to figure out how to help. Sam, her sister, calls her QAG (quite Asian girl), so Lily often feels invisible, failing to speak up for herself. When she begins seeing the tiger of Halmoni's past, Lily knows she must determine why she sees her and try to save her Halmoni.

The novel moves at a measured pace with tiger stories thrown in. Lily finds space for herself in the library that resides across the street. She meets Ricky who should know how to hunt a tiger. if Lily can trap the tiger, she can make a deal to save her Halmoni. Sam and their mom hold part of the novel, but it really centers on Lily and Halmoni's stories. Lily believes them. Ultimately, the novel is about Lily discovering truth and finding how one faces the world and accepts all that comes with it with bravery and understanding.

I listened to the book; I can't say that I paid much attention. I sped it up because I was bored listening at the standard pace. The novel didn't speak to me, and I was thankful when it ended.

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Lily, along with her sister and mom, suddenly go to her Halmoni's and life changes when she discovers her grandmother isn't well. She remembers the stories her grandmother tells, the Korean traditions and foods, but she and her sister haven't had their same close relationship, and Lily's mom

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doesn't always see her for who she is. In the midst of her struggles, Lily starts seeing a tiger who tells her she can make a deal that will make her halmoni well again.

It's incredibly hard to summarize this book, which manages to contain a lot of heart and a realistic exploration of Lily's character as she deals with all the challenges of life and its changes. It's heartwarming and relatable, both sad and joyful. I really enjoyed reading this and watching Lily's story unfold.

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I always love stories about stories, and this one is just so lovely. This intergenerational story covers loss, family, magic, and more. It's done with a light yet confident touch that kept me turning pages. Quite simply: I loved this book.

RGG: Wrapped in the mythology of Korean folk stories, a young girl copes with her grandmother's dying. Interesting introduction of the stereotype of the QAG. Realistic older-younger sister dynamic, with the twist of the very low-key coming out of the older sister. Lovely, quiet story

RGG: Wrapped in the mythology of Korean folk stories, a young girl copes with her grandmother's dying. Interesting introduction of the stereotype of the QAG. Realistic older-younger sister dynamic, with the twist of the very low-key coming out of the older sister. Lovely, quiet story

children's middlegrade fiction (when your Korean grandma has terminal cancer and you discover your hidden tiger side, and also uncover some of your family history)

Tigers can be invisible and sneaky until they decide to strike--but they also remember, and they also love stories. That sentence wasn't

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as eloquent as it seemed in my head when I woke up this morning, but you get the idea.

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Lily, her mother, and her older sister move in with her halmoni - her grandmother - and things are...off. Her mother and sister are at each other's throats too much, and Halmoni seems to be not well. And then Lily starts seeing a tiger, and Halmoni is the only one who believes her.

This newbery

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Medal winner is about the danger and beauty of stories, about the truth behind magic, and the power of belief. It's good, but I think it could have been better. Here we go again with my general dislike of magical realism, but honestly, that stuff needs to be *seamless* and this doesn't quite make it. There are also so holes in the story here and there (characters who get ignored for chunks of the narrative and whose absence feels like a mistake, other characters who need to be fleshed out more...), which don't ruin it completely, but they were there, lurking in the background, the whole time for me. So, it's an enjoyable read, but not at the top of my Newbery Favorites list.

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Halmoni is Korean and when she lived in Korea she stole painful stories from under the noses of magical guardian tigers and hid them away in star-jars so she wouldn't have to hear them. Now, it is present-day Washington and Halmoni is sick with cancer. Lily is her granddaughter who is out to trap

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the tiger and make a deal with the magical tiger who's stalking her family. If Lily can find and open the jars, freeing the stories, then the tiger will heal her Halmoni. The only way to free the stories is to listen to the them even though they are quite distressing. As this process unfolds, Lily learns about her family's past and begins to make sense of pieces of her own identity.

There is a theme here about repressed trauma and healing through storytelling highlighting Korean folklore.

While a good story, I don’t enjoy the magical fantasy aspect.

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Lily and her sister Sam are upset when their mother suddenly decides to move from their home in California back to their grandmother’s house in Washington State. They arrive in a downpour, tired and tense after the long drive, to find that Halmoni is not home—the girls talk to and about their

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grandmother Ae-Cha using the Korean word for grandmother, halmoni,할머니, as if it were her name. To get in out of the rain their mother forces her way into the house. Things look strange inside, boxes from the basement are stacked in the middle of the floor. Lily feels uneasy. Just before they arrived, she was sure that she saw a tiger in the middle of the road, a large tiger that neither her mother nor her sister saw.

Then Halmoni comes home from shopping. She’s her usual cheerful and eccentric self. But, at night Lily finds her sick, sweating and vomiting violently. As the days go by, it becomes clear to Lily that her halmoni is very sick. This is scary.

When Lily nervously confides to her grandmother that she’s seen a disappearing tiger, she asks, “Am I going crazy?”

Her grandmother warns her to stay away from tigers, they are very bad and tricky. She then adds,

“You mom doesn’t believe in any of this. Her world is small. But you know: the world is bigger than we what we see. … The tigers looking for me. … I steal something that belongs to them—long, long ago, when I little like you—and now they want it back. … This one real. Tigers real.”

Horrified, Lily is determined to trap the tiger stalking her grandmother and make a deal with it that will heal Halmoni. She succeeds; she traps the tiger, but the tiger is tricky.

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Lily, along with her mother and her sister, Sam go to stay with her halmoni or grandmother. While she is there she encounters a tiger that nobody else can see, but the tiger makes a deal with Lily to bring her stories trapped in jars, and she will help her halmoni. Each night, Lily opens a jar and

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releases the stories for the tiger to tell, but her halmoni's heath continues to deteriorate. Lily begins to wonder if maybe trusting the tiger was the wrong thing to do.

When You Trap a Tiger is filled with symbolism and lessons about growing up and accepting change. Much of what is in the story comes from Korean folklore and shows that many stories are universal. At the same time, Lily is learning to let go of her youth and realize that life moves forward whether we want it to or not. For a book written for middle grade readers, some of the ideas presented in the story might be a little too abstract, but overall, When You Trap a Tiger is an interesting story interwoven with many life changing themes. 3 1/2 stars.

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Lily, her big sister Sam, and her mother move in with Lily's Halmoni (grandmother). It soon becomes obvious that Halmoni is ill, and Lily starts seeing a tiger that nobody else can see. Does the tiger hold the secret to making Halmoni better? Lily is determined to find out.

Well written, with

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complex characters and a strong plot. I like that other characters (particularly Sam) have their own things going on that Lily is not completely aware of -- they are characters in their own right, even though the story we're reading is Lily's. This Newbery-winning title is deserving of its accolades.

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On the way to her grandmother's home Lily sees a Tiger in the road. She is happy to be with her halmoni again and listen to stories but her sister resents moving away from her life and her mother is burdened with seeking work. About identity, death and the stories that give meaning to them and to

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life itself. I just felt a little too distanced from Lily and her choices to get fully involved.

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Lily and her sister and her mother move back to the small Washington town where her mother grew up and her Halmoni still lives. Deceased father that they still mourn. Lily starts seeing the Tiger from many stories Halmoni shared stalking their family and finds a way to come to terms with grief and

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her own voice/ identity. Sister finds a girlfriend at end of book. Full of feels and Korean heritage. Excellent for shy girls who are dealing with change. Love that Lily starts to find her own power in identity, and the fairytale quest that lets her embrace her emotions.

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This was recommended to me by a friend, which I am grateful for, as I probably would have overlooked this otherwise. For some reason the cover copy does not use the word Korean anywhere, despite the magical talking tigers and the grandmother named Halmoni (Korean for grandmother). It seems an odd

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choice?

This was a family read-aloud for story time. It is full of good sibling feels and is all about the power of stories -- as well as the traditions passed down and lost between generations. A lovely middle-grade adventure.

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Such a wonderful story.

Story magic can do all kinds of things, like: teaching, warning, and inspiring. Tigers from Halmoni’s tales arrive, egging Lily to investigate the family history. In exchange for family secrets, the tiger offers a solution to Halmoni’s ailments. But Halmoni always said “never trust a

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tiger.” Unsure of what to do, Lily looks to her sister and new friend for the strength to face the tiger and tell her stories.

Stories are ever changing because of language, memories, and situations. Tae Keller recreated the magic of childhood stories told by her halmoni (grandmother), creating a tool for teaching children about Korean lore, loss, race, and acceptance. Greta Jung maintains an anglicized narration making it hard for the reader to distinguish halmoni from harmony. However, this is cleared up in chapter 34 when Ricky learns how to pronounce halmoni. Making the listener want to start over too find other Korean words. The written and narrated versions of When You Trap a Tiger offer a multitude of learning experiences through the magic of storytelling. An inspiring read for all ages.

Personal note: my grandma lives in west Canada and we often times read stories together, almost always accidentally. One of us will find it interesting and the other will pick it up. This happened with When You Trap a Tiger. I could see a lot of parallels between my relationship with Grandma and Lily’s relationship with Halmoni. I thought everyone knew that 7 cups of herbal tea was equal to 1 vegetable. Turns out, it only works because Grandma said so.

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Lily and her family move to be near their ill halmoni (grandmother). Her grandma has always been a bit eccentric. When Lily thinks she sees a tiger and her halmoni tells her how she stole something from a tiger, she starts to wonder if that is the key to making her grandma better.
She meets friends

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at the local library across the street and has a complicated relationship with her mom and sister. The family loves each other fiercely, but they are all suffering.
This straddled the line of fantasy and magical realism for me. I'd have to do more digging into Korean stories to see if there were also folk tale connections.

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When You Trap a Tiger is a magical story about the power of stories and how they can shape a person, and about the family history, strong Korean women (grandmothers, mothers, sisters), and unexpected friendships. When Lily and her mom and sister move back in with her Korean grandmother (halmoni),

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she runs into a tiger from her halmoni's tales. Before long, Lily finds herself making a deal with the tiger in an effort to save her grandmother and finding herself in the process. This books is so seamlessly written that, as a reader, I felt magically enmeshed in this wise and exquisite story.

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A wonderful story of family steeped in Korean heritage and legends. I love how Lily's grandmother, Halmoni, is described as fierce and kind, like the tiger.