The Tiger's Egg

The Wednesday Tales #2

by Jon Berkeley, Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)

When the Circus Bolsillo lands in Larde, orphan Miles Wednesday and his angel-friend Little join its wondrous and chaotic show. They soon fall in with Doctor Tau-Tau, a mysterious and bumbling fortune-teller who once knew Miles's parents and claims Miles's father is very much alive. Miles sets out in secret with Doctor Tau-Tau, but to his surprise the search for his father quickly turns into a hunt for a much coveted and powerful Tiger's Egg—a stone fabled to contain the soul of a tiger. No one knows its true whereabouts, and as Miles and Little begin to puzzle the bits together, they uncover its curious connection to Miles's parents. Could the Egg be the key to the secrets of Miles's own past? Jon Berkeley's second novel in The Wednesday Tales continues the fantastical and often comical story of Miles Wednesday, as he sets forth on another strange adventure in pursuit of the truth.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Childrens, Magic, Fiction, Young Adult

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Jon Berkeley was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland and says he went to a school where "you were only allowed go to the bathroom if you asked in Irish." His love of art led him to study at the National College of Art and Design. From there he went to work as an illustrator in Hong Kong, Barcelona, London and Sydney.

Jon worked as an illustrator for twenty years before turning his hand to writing. He wrote Chopsticks in 2004, a story about the friendship between a mouse and a dragon, and his first novel, The Palace of Laughter, is in bookshops now! Jon currently lives in Spain with his wife and their five kids, five cats and a "small colony of stick insects."

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ughgh this book

[Vivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ovo sam citala kada sam bila mladja.
Prva knjiga koja me je odusevila.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the road with the Circus Bolsillo, Miles and Little partakes in wonderfully vivid acts on the road - but the longer they stay, the greater mysteries begin to surface surrounding a legendary egg, ancient magic, and a price that must be paid before they can return home safely...Berkeley continues this fun and creative adventure with even more inventive characters and lighthearted humour. Watch your step: you never know when strange and dangerous creatures are watching...

[Alondra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro infantil mmmuuuy entretenido, muy rápido, con unas ilustraciones preciosas. Mi único problema es que muchas veces había repeticiones innecesarias de palabras o de descripciones. También era molesto leer quién decía lo que decía CADA vez que terminaba una frase. Por lo demás, una historia divertida y recomendable si se busca algo ligero.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tiger's Egg, as a follow up to The Palace of Laughter, has just as many strange twists and events. It's curious finding out more about Miles' family and his connection to a talking tiger. Still not an entirely captivating story for me, but it chugs along.

[Shannon Mulholland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my favorite book, but I didn't hate it. I liked when Miles starts to uncover the secrets of his parents, but I'm not invested enough to read the third book in the series.

[Madelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continues to surprise

[Denise Valtr · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good.

[Sirona Leopold Montenegro Valverde · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But tigers don't lay eggs!"

Is the usual first thing people say after I tell them the title of this book. And I imagine that Berekly would say something on the lines of tigers not having to lay eggs to have possession rights upon them. But animals have no concept of possession, they'd say, whereupon Bekely would retort with the ever classy 'How do you know?'

Though the same thing can apply to that girl I had a crush on in the first year of college. Or for that matter, Little, the fallen angel who at the end of The Palace of Laughter sang her angel name to save Miles from a monster, which is rather lacking in sense, though that is a debatable subject I'm saving for another occasion.

The Tiger's Egg follows with the next relevant series of events after the last escapade of Miles Wednesday, which concluded with an overall better situation for his life, as expected. This book begins with the arrival of Circus Bolsilo, ran by the Bolsilo brothers whom we have met in the previous book, and managed to win me over with a series of lines which I'm going to paraphrase here for you:

Time to play a game of cards. Your turn to deal.

No way, everytime I deal you get all the aces. I think you're cheating!

Also, I don't understand how they're competent enough to run a lemonade stand without encountering some serious issues, let alone a circus! I'm not particularly bothered by the idea of them having an ulterior motive to hide their true capabilities, but there's no payoff to it, so they're simply MacGuffins doing whatever the plot needs them to do.

The rest is just more of the same. It's the continuation of the story Berkely was meaning to tell, and it's pretty much no different in tone to the last one, so there you go. That's as much as I can say about the midway act of a story.

[Amalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally a sequel I can enjoy! I often find that the second book in a series is quite a bit darker than its predecessor. Think Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets or Beyond the Valley of Thorns, even Icefire but not Dragon's Breath. The Tiger's Egg holds onto the magic of The Palace of Laughter: The Wednesday Tales No. 1, moves the plot forward and generally remains happy and light in spirit.

That being said, Miles has some pretty intense encounters and gets involved with some seriously nasty characters. He is on a quest to find out what he can about his parents; how does he know who to believe when everyone is saying different things? Who can he trust? And does he really want to know the truth?

Along the way, Miles discovers some special magic all his own. There is a symbolism here of drawing on your inner strength and resources. I don't want to spoil it for you by saying too much because it is really cool the way that Jon Berkeley brings it all together in the book.

Tiger's Egg is at a magical and mysterious adventure that keeps the pages turning.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Circus rolls into town, now run by the Bolsillo Brothers who are trying to restore the townships robbed of joy by the "Great Cortado" they enlist the help of Little who can create joyful restorative music even if she cannot sing the Song anymore because of her selfless act in The Palace of Laughter when she saved Mile from the Null whose name is mysteriously missing from the Song.
In this book we find Miles and Little traveling with the Circus now run by the three clownish Bosillo brothers. Dr Tau Tau has surfaced, proving to be a self centered and certainly shady charlatan. Now, as the Circus travels, each performance brings a bit of healing to the town it visits. In the mix is Dr. Tau Tau- remember his Tonic in The Palace of Laughter? He is insufferable but has information about Mile's mother and father and this draws Mile's to him- Dr. Tau Tau thinks that Mile's must have The Tiger's Egg, especially because of Mile's stories of speaking with the Tiger. Finding the Egg and protecting it from the nefarious purposes of the Great Cortado are important elements in the winding plot of The Tiger's Egg.

[Aneesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading the book Tiger's Egg I was curious about what happened next after reading each chapter. The book is about when Circus Bolsillo come to Miles hometown. He and Little join the crazy circus. While at the circus they both meet Dr. Tau-Tau, a mysterious weird fortune teller who knew Miles mother and father. The fortune teller belived that Miles father is very much alive. The little orphan and the fortune teller set off on an adventure to find Miles father, but along the way another quest must be completed. The search of the Tiger's egg. No one knows where the egg is , and as Little and Miles figure out the pieces to complete the mystery they find the egg's curious connection to Miles parents. This book is the second book of the series called The Wednesday Tales. I loved this curious book but not all the time. That's why I rated it three stars.




:) :) :)


THE END

[Pluma Gulunga · Rating 3 out of 5]

El talismán del tigre es un libro precioso, no solo por sus ilustraciones que lo hacen aún más atractivo, sino además por una historia atrayente de principio a fin, a pesar de que su primera entrega no ha llegue aún a las librerías de Colombia.

Quizás leyendo lo anterior tengan sus reservas acerca de comenzar a leer una saga sin conocer cómo empezó todo, pero no hay necesidad de preocuparse, pues éste te va contando por lo menos todo lo que debes saber para que no te sientas perdido y su narrativa es bastante sencilla, además tiene como soporte unas hermosas ilustraciones y personajes a los que rápidamente les coges cariño... (lee la crítica completa en https://plumagulunga1.blogspot.com/)

[Ja'lon Payne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book i will be telling about is "The Tigers Egg". The author is Jon Berkeley. I didn't like the book because it wasn't all real or maybe even close to being real. The main setting was Circus Bolsllo an adventurest spot. The main character is Miles Wednsday, He was look for The Tigers egg to find his dad, it was really a magic egg. i would not recommend this book for others because it was a lot of adventure. i like the plot because, they were trying to find something that was magical. The characters were not believable because they were easy to convince. I would not recommend this book for other.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This fantastical junior book has some disturbingly dark themes. At least as intense as Harry Potter, but this author isn't as good as Rowling as leavening it with hope, somehow. Also, the main character, a boy named Miles Wednesday, who seemed just a resourceful, street-smart kid in "The Palace of Laughter," now turns out to have magical, possibly evil powers.
Proceed cautiously with this book. I'm going to try to get it out of the house before my 8-year-old notices. Luckily, I read ahead to the end.

[Mikaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked book number 2. The whole plot is very well thought out. It is obvious that before the author penned book 1 he had the whole series mapped out as the second book flowed well and used the same characters flawlessly. The villian is back. The adventures continue. And it leaves me ready to read Tales No. 3. Which I have from the library already and have read 2 chapters. Oh the suspense! It doesn't start well for poor Miles Wednesday! At least I know this is a children's book and it's bound to end happy, right?

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

More predictable than the first and at least one very important detail from the first book was incorrectly stated in this book. ***spoiler alert*** (Little sang her own name in the first book in order to save Miles from the null but in this book the author off-handedly writes that she sang the nulls own name. Singing her name is what caused her to lose her wings and be held on earth...so ??? Other it being inconsistent, it didn't really affect the story.) Will save further judgement until I have read the next book.

[Abigail W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the second in the series. It's about a young boy,Miles, and his 400 year-old sister,Little,who join their friends circus.Miles has no parents and on this circus adventure he finds out who his parent are, and what his mom was apart of,THE TIGERS EGG. Miles know is big enough to understand what is going on and he find's(THE TIGERS EGG). A secret is revealed about his father that is alive, and his desire to use the egg and save him.I like this book because of the adventure and mystery,but i do not like how the tiger from the egg has to obey Miles all the time.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I really thought I wouldn't read the third book, I do have to remind myself that I'm not exactly the target audience for the series and the parts that are a little slow for me might be really exciting for the younger reader! But in the end, (after an exciting twist that I hadn't predicted!) I really enjoyed the book and have to read the last installment so I can find out what happens!!!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being the sequel to, "The Palace of Laughter," I knew it would be a fabulous book! After Miles and Little meet a Bengal tiger, they are off on ANOTHER adventure. They meet the Bolsillo Brothers along the way, and learn how to cope with being only with eachother! This is a "must read", so go pick one up!

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sequel to Palace of Laughter. I enjoyed this book, possibly even more than Palace of Laughter because I've gotten to know the characters better and look forward to hearing more about them. Like the mix of dark plot and humorous characters. Definitely something I would suggest to others.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this on my son's recommendation. I thought this one was fine -- I wasn't particularly drawn to read it, but it was entertaining enough. My son (age 9), however, and his best friend, both found this one a huge step up in excitement from the first in the series. They would both give this 5 stars, whereas they'd give the first one a 3 or 4.

[Jgudmann3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Cortado escapes the hospital, where he has been imprisoned for a long time. He wants Selim(Miles) dead, because he ruined his circus. Miles Wednesday and his little sister, who is an angel and she is 400 years old, join the circus Bolsillo. They meet a fortune teller who gives Miles hints about his father, so he wants to find out what happened to his dad and mom.

[Riki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good because it put pictures in my head and I could imagine myself in the book. Also, I would think, and think, and think about the book, and what may happen next, and if I were in the situations described. I enjoyed it and I hope if you choose to read this book, you do too.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an amazing sequal to the palace of laughter and i can't wait to read the next book. this book shows curiosity, deception, evil, love, hatred, friendship and talent all in an exciting and nerve racking novel.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in a young readers' kick. This one and its predecessor are sweet stories with interesting sub-plots. There is a lot in there about self-sacrifice and finding yourself. I also love that the main character's stuffed bear comes to life!

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slower than the first in the series. I enjoyed this very much. E(6) lost interest about 2/3 way through and I finished it on my own. But he still wanted to know what happened in the story. I will probably finish reading the series.

[Christopher Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

what little genius books these are - fun and totally enchanting, miles, the teddy and the angel again set off on their next big adventure.. a total page turner and so different from anything else i had read - loved it

[Kiersten]

A fun story loaded with funny characters and unexpected twists. However, I haven't read the first book, so I found it very confusing and can't evaluate the plot development very well. Judging from the rave reviews the series is getting, however, that just might have to change...

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really fascinating, as the main character starts to learn about his past, but there didn't seem to be a whole lot of action. I was going to do a book report on this book, but because of the lack of action I had to switch books.