75 pages • 2 hours read
When You Trap a Tiger
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Summary and Study Guide
Overview
When You Trap a Tiger is a middle grade contemporary novel with fantasy elements published in 2020. Author Tae Keller received the 2021 Newbery Medal for the book—the story of middle schooler Lily Reeves, her older sister Sam Reeves, and their mother moving in with the girls’ Korean halmoni (grandmother) when she falls ill. In an attempt to save her grandmother’s life, Lily makes a deal with the mysterious tiger stalking Halmoni, and as a result, learns more about her family and Korean heritage. This guide refers to the 2020 Penguin Random House edition of the novel.
Plot Summary
It is the summer between sixth and seventh grade for Lily. Lily, her older sister Sam, and their mother are moving from their sunny beach town in California to rainy Sunbeam, Washington. Mom says they must move in order to spend more time with her mother, the girls’ Korean halmoni (grandmother) who immigrated to America long ago. The story opens as Mom drives through a rainstorm to Halmoni’s house. Mom and Sam bicker in the front seat; Lily stays quietly “invisible” in the back. Suddenly, Lily sees a large tiger in the road with no rain falling on it.
Unlock all 75 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Tae Keller
