Tig

by Heather Smith

A new heartwarming middle-grade story from the critically acclaimed author Heather Smith featuring Tig, a young girl struggling to find peace within herself and in her new family. For fans of Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

After months of living without electricity or parents, Tig and Peter are forced to move in with their Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny. The transition from down-and-out to picture-perfect isn't easy, especially in pristine Wensleydale with the idyllic couple and their beautiful home.

Tig, with Peter's support, decides to make their new life messy, starting with daily arguments and her plans to become a competitive cheese racer.
She'll run circles around her new guardians, outrun a wheel of cheese, and leave her past buried in her dust. But things don't always go as planned, and Tig must decide what to truly leave behind in order to move forward.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Family, Mental Health, Canada, Audiobook

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2024

About the author

Originally from Newfoundland, Heather Smith now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her Newfoundland roots inspire much of her writing.

Reviews

[Pavitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what I was expecting...no I'll tell you exactly what I was expecting. A "middle grade story" would be light, a fun read..make me nostalgic and happy before I dive into another serious/smutty adult person (you know, the two main genres) book. What I was not expecting was a heartbreaking, beautifully written tearjerker about love, abandonment, inner worlds, the power of imagination, companionship, coping mechanisms and childhood. Still not sure this is middle-grade, but it's a really well told, beautifully written story.

[Andria Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming, yet sad middle grade book that was handled really well. Loved it. 5 ⭐. ❤️

[queeniejustiney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this bc I was asked to present to a schools book club about working at a Fromagerie because they were reading this. What a lovely book, shed a few tears!

[Jenny Ashby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the mistake of finishing this book while eating lunch at my desk and then had to work to not just collapse on my desk and cry for 15 minutes. I know why Tig is so tough when she comes to live with her uncle, but it was hard to read about her actions as she put up walls. But, as expected, she began to soften with so much patience and love coming her way and it destroyed me at the end.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was an incredibly heartwarming middle grade book by a new to me local author! I loved how precocious Tig is and the way she struggles to deal with being abandoned by her addict mother. Luckily she and her brother Peter are taken in by their uncle and his partner where they finally find a loving, secure home for the first time. Tig reminds me a lot of Anne of Green Gables with lots of small town charm and a memorable cast of characters. It was great on audio and I absolutely loved it. A definite must read, especially for fans of books like The tenth mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko or A million things by Emily Spurr.

[Kate Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so, so lovely. Not in an "everything is wonderful" kind of way, but in a "this tugs the heartstrings and fills you with empathy for every character" kind of way. Narrator is 11 but has gone through some shit and sometimes acts older, often acts younger. Not as much about cheese rolling as I expected it to be, but about processing trauma and healing, slowly. Great use of vocabulary. Highly recommend.



Audiobook courtesy of Libro.fm free Educator ALC program.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully crafted. This is more character driven than I usually like my fiction, but Tig is such a marvellously believable character, I was enchanted. I did think it wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly though, as heartwarming as it was to have that resolution.

Thank you very much to Candlewick Press for gifting me a copy for review.

[Rebecca McPhedran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Maine Student Book Award nominee for 25|26.

Tig and Peter have been abandoned by their mother, and they must go live with Uncle Scott and his partner Manny. Tig is a strange, and precocious young girl, who is trying desperately to figure out her place in this new life.

Gosh, I didn’t expect this middle grade novel to be so heartbreaking and lovely. I really enjoyed Tig.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abandoned by her mother, Tig and Peter struggle to survive on their own. They are able to go undetected for several months, but once discovered, they are taken to Uncle Scott's house. Tig isn't sure if she likes it there, and she's sure her mother will return any time to take them back. But slowly and surely, she learns about life and love and letting go, all while connecting with new friends and hopefully letting her uncle into her world.

This is definitely not for all young readers, but for those who are ready to explore these feelings, this is a wonderfully written book about learning to let people into your carefully built walls and discovering how to be a complete person as we grow. There is a bit of a twist in there, but it was handled in a way that keeps readers rooting for Tig and her new family and friends.

[Arissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the forest of reading and it was pretty good. I liked the ending but the rest of the story felt kind of weird to me. First of all, I may be mistaken, but the cheese rolling was kind of random and I personally don't think it added to the story much. Also, I found it kind of frustrating how Tig would randomly break stuff just because she felt like it, but I guess it was a trauma response?

[Gold Dust · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story opens with two preteen kids beginning to live with their uncle and his gay partner. The story unrealistically has these kids being too smart despite their poor upbringing. We’re supposed to believe that they read a dictionary when bored but at the same time Tig doesn’t read ordinary books. Sometimes the book’s narration has overly simple sentences like, “I went outside. I sat in the basket chair. I was in pajamas. They were covered in stars. I opened my notebook” (146). And then too-mature/advanced/abstract-sentences like these which a real preteen would never write: “The sympathy on his face leaked out his pores and dripped on the floor. I put on my imaginary boots and splashed in his pity puddle” (6).

The uncle has a gay partner probably just so this book could get published, since no publisher these days is interested in any books that don’t have LGBT or POC characters. The gay couple are the author’s image of perfect: completely loving, affectionate, happy, patient, and tolerant. Because of course any LGBT or POC in literature has to be 100% flawless.

The kids are brats who don’t show any appreciation whatsoever for their uncle taking them in. They refuse to eat what he cooks them, they break the TV he got them, purposely drops a hammer on his foot, steal from a store, never apologize for anything, and then have the nerve to ask for a pet dog. The uncle and his gay partner don’t give the kids any consequences. They tolerate everything, and give the kids everything they want. In fact, when Tig breaks the TV, Uncle Scott apologizes TO HER instead (36).

“Peter said it’s not vandalism when you’re mad, it’s therapy” (106).

“I wished I’d had a moving desk in school. Maybe I’d have listened better” (111).

“Uncle Scott said we could go to the orthodontist but only if I wanted. Only if I wanted. I was proud of him. He was finally learning how to talk to me” (105).

“It didn’t matter if I hissed and barked and scratched and bit. They’d love me anyway” (141).

And I suppose the message we readers are supposed to get from this is that all ghetto/poor/disadvantaged/vandalizing kids are innocent victims who should be allowed to lash out as much as they want, and we should give them whatever they want including candy for every meal, no doctor appointments, and whatever fun chair at school they request (at the tax payers’ expense), and eventually they will calm down and be grateful after they’ve been shown lots of love and leniency. No, all that lenient parenting teaches kids is that they can keep being brats. What motivation is there to improve behavior when you can keep being a brat and get whatever you want?

Then the book hypocritically has this scene:
Tig yells “Drop it!” to the dog, and it immediately drops the blanket. Tig says, “See? All he needed was a firm command” (76-77). So the author admits being firm works on animals, but when it comes to parents raising kids, they’re just supposed to roll over and play dead while the kids run all over them.

The book had a surprise near the end and made me cry a little, so for that it gets some points. But overall the book has dangerous messages, as I explained above. Despite this book having an 11 year old protagonist, the book isn’t really for kids. My 10 year old started to read the book but got bored only after a couple pages. The abstract sentences probably confused her too. I’m glad she didn’t continue it. For a better novel about a neglected/abused young girl, check out “Abandoned” by Gail O. Dellslee.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I regularly read many, many middle grade books due to my job, but also do do my absolute love for them. While so many have made me laugh or cry - or they’ve been perfect additions to our library collections - there are two that stick to my bones and have found a place in my soul so deeply. Paul Mosier’s Train I Ride & Dan Gemeinhart’s The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise have lived on a list of their own for me for a very long time, until today.

Meet Heather Smith’s Tig. Take some time to get to know her, and I promise you will fall in love with her story, and all of its broken (and mending) pieces.

Oh, how my heart loves this book. Hope yours does, too. 💛🧀

- - -

“When you have nothing, you know who you are. When you have a grilled cheese, you're not sure.”

“Me and Peter found a dictionary once. In a dumpster.
We'd been looking for food but we feasted on words instead. It was a banquet. All-you-can-eat.”

The wood became bright and warm but it still had dents and it still had chips, but Manny said that was part of its story and the imperfections are part of its character. When I was done I said, "Look, it's as good as old" because being as good as new wasn't the point.

“He leaned into me and I wanted him to stay there forever. I wanted him to get heavier and heavier until every ounce of him was on every ounce of me and we were as close as two things could possibly be without melting into each other and becoming one. His weight was like a blanket, so when he was gone, I felt chilled.”

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS - Eleven-year-old Tig and her slightly older brother Peter have been living on their own since their mother abandoned them. Now they live with their uncle and his partner, and they have a rough adjustment to their new situation.

Tig finds solace in her brother and in her imagination as she struggles to trust and to adjust to her new family life in a new town. With humour, heart and a wonderful sense of innocence, once again Canadian author Heather Smith demonstrates her skill at putting depth of emotion and an engaging and heartwarming story within only 200 pages while also introducing readers to characters they'll care about.

This middle grade read is poignant, funny and at times heartbreaking as it focuses on themes of abandonment and the power of imagination and supportive family to get us through the tough times. There is a bit of a twist (which I anticipated) but I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Tig and witnessing her journey.

This is a story that will tug at your heartstrings (and your tear ducts) in equal measure. I found myself tearing up in parts and cheering on wee Tig as she adjusts to the changes life has thrown at her. Like Smith's character Bun O'Keefe, Tig is a character who you'll think about long after you've turned the final pages.

Final Thoughts: Read this book and make sure it's in your public library

Recommended Reading: The Agony of Bun O'Keefe by Heather Smith

[Faith White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt my favorite middle grade read this year. Absolutely gorgeous writing and storytelling. All of my teacher, librarian, and grownup friends who work closely with children should definitely read this book.

[Sarah Lasko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook - YA Red Maple 2024-25

Tragic story with a happy new beginning at the end. I wonder how students will connect to this one.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t enamoured at the start but the second half was WOW - so clever! A bit too “old” for my grade 4s but an awesome book for grade 6.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A devastatingly honest novel about foster care, neurodivergence, family, and resilience." [School Library Journal]

[Kc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about an abandoned child who is fostered by her Uncle and his boyfriend. I liked the subtle touch of the two Dads. It was done just subtly enough and very belieavble.

[carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Erin Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tig might be one of the greatest characters I’ve ever met in a book. This story is remarkable!

[Alix Pera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very touching and poetic. The use and playfulness with language connected to the emotional journey of abandonment and love.

[Kathy Stinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book and want to read it all over again. Heartbreaking and funny and heartwarming and wise, the story of a girl abandoned, in so many ways, by her mother. I loved every character, the cheese races, the dollhouses, and the two words on p122 that came as a total surprise. And so much more but I’ll stop there and let you discover for yourself why I’d give this one more than 5 stars if I could.

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tig's mother is not a good one and when she takes off, Tig goes to live with Uncle Scott and his partner Manny. Tig struggles to put her walls down.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does this tug at the heartstrings? Absolutely. Does it also share some truths about abuse? Yes. Does it do a good job at showing that things aren't always neat and tidy when someone is "rescued"? Yes, even if it does lean in that direction by the end.

I could see the one plot twist coming but was a bit off about it, so that was nice to be surprised.

A quick read and well-written, IMHO. And I do love that the author has Tig looking up and learning new words to share with Peter - great way to help young readers also learn new words.

[Nikki Bergstresser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books will stay with you in your heart...Tig, by Heather Smith is one of those books. The story is told through beautiful language in the heartbreaking and joyful moments. I wanted to wrap my arms around Tig. It is a story of resilience and hope. It sheds light on trauma and a child's inner dialogue as navigating some incredibly hard feelings.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: We're different now, me and Peter. That's the thing about being left behind--it changes your whole being. It's like how abandoned animals stop trusting humans. They go wild and crazy and when they're rescued it takes ages for them to calm down, to love and be loved again. Don't get me wrong, Uncle Scott is a decent guy and Manny makes the best grilled cheese I've ever had. But me and Peter? We're still in the hissing and biting stage.

My thoughts (preview): I am SO conflicted on this one. I am. On the one hand EXQUISITE, beautiful writing. On the other hand, the trigger warnings this book needs is longer than a Walgreens receipt. No lie. Here's the thing just because real life can sometimes have ALL THE TRAUMA (and then some) does not mean that most/many readers in the [so-called] target audience are mentally and emotionally prepared for the trauma in the pages. That's why I'm conflicted. I don't want to deny that bad stuff happens to kids. I might be a horrible person to think that the real target audience should be adults who work with kids--teachers, librarians, principals, counselors, foster parents, etc. I can see why books like this exist, even perhaps need to exist, but should it be sorted as children's or middle grade???? [Goodreads lists both in the target age range].

Premise/plot: Tig (and Peter) have been "rescued" from a dangerous situation. They've been living on their own in a house without electricity for months ever since they were abandoned. Now Tig (and Peter) will be living with Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny, but Tig equates this new situation as fake, too good to be true. She trusts NO ONE, not even a little bit. With Peter by her stand she holds onto a bit of dignity but not a smidge of hope for a new beginning.

My thoughts (continued): The novel is on the shorter side--which is good. I think it's a potent novel. The emotions are so concentrated, so focused, so negative, so raw, that I wasn't aching for a longer read. There are layers. There are twists and turns. This is one of those where knowing that actual-actual-actual plot would spoil too much. So yes, one can say oh it's about a girl living with her uncle and his partner...but beyond that, well, you can't talk about the plot or the characters or the character development.

I am again so conflicted with this one. There are scenes that are so hard to read because of how disturbing the situations are.

Quotes:

The sympathy on his face leaked out his pores and dripped on the floor. I put on my imaginary boots and splashed in his pity puddle. He got drenched. I stayed dry. My yellow raincoat matched my boots.

We didn't know when the hour was up because seconds don't hang around, they tick away, and it's not like you can collect them and count them up. Once they're gone, they're gone.

If you were a clean slate, you wouldn't be you. And knowing who you are, it kind of helps you, you know? It's what keeps you going.

[Terri (BooklyMatters) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight, this middle-grade story is voiced for us by eleven-year old Tig herself, weaving a first person narrative that so rings with authenticity, poignancy and most of all, charm, it is impossible for the reader not to fall completely under her spell.

Heartlessly abandoned by her alcoholic mother and her abusive boyfriend, Tig — accompanied by her only slightly older brother, Peter — with her cheeky mix of bravado, insecurity and wild imagination, hide out in their attic, dumpster-diving for food, and avoiding adult contact for several months. And they almost get away with it, before circumstances conspire to see them ousted, and sent to live with Uncle Scott and his partner Manny, who live nestled in the countryside of Wensleydale, North Yorkshire (an outwardly idyllic location, where racing logs of locally-produced cheese down rolling hills is not as unusual as it may sound).

For Tig and Peter, whose trauma runs deeper than either will let on, trusting anyone (adult or child) comes at a cost they are unwilling (and unable) to pay.

“Families were hard because you always have to worry whether you're good or bad and you'll always wonder if someone will leave you even if you're almost sure they won't.”

Needless to say, it’s a tough adjustment for all, and the events that follow will certainly test each family member to their absolute limit.

A gorgeous story, rendered with authenticity, Tig’s tale will tug at your heart mercilessly — for this reader, passing the lump-in-the-throat test so seamlessly, it was really never in any doubt at all.

Highly recommended, this huggable book is certain to become a favorite, for adult and young readers alike, and anyone, really, inspired by the healing power of unconditional love, and the journey we may take to get there.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Public library copy

**Spoilers**

Tig and her older brother Peter are being cared for by their Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny after their mother left them alone with no electricity for a long time. Uncle Scott (who writes book reviews for a living) is very understanding, even when Tig smashes a brand new television. She's grateful for clean clothes and food, but misses her mother. She doesn't miss Eddy, the mother's boyfriend, who drank a lot of Captain Morgan with the mother. Tig comes up with some interesting ways to spend the time, like rolling a wheel of cheese (which she steals) down a big hill. There are ups and downs as Tig and her brother learn to trust their new guardians. The family even adopts a four year old dog from a family who can't take the dog to their new apartment, and since the dog's name is Captain Morgan, which Tig can't stand, they call the dog Guten Morgen. Tig's mother sets up a time to see her, but doesn't show up, and later drunkenly throws a lawn gnome through a window at Uncle Scott's house. Tig's cheese rolling doesn't end well, as she falls and breaks her arm. Eventually, she is comfortable enough with her new surroundings to admit to Uncle Scott that Peter is just an imaginary older brother.

This is a finalist for the 2024 Cybils Awards. It is reminscent of Paterson's 1978 The Great Gilly Hopkins, which was a big favorite with teachers and librarians because of Gilly's outsized personality. The writing in this was very lyrical, and this is very much a heart print book. It is also a shorter book and might be more successful with the younger end of the middle grade spectrum, as I am not sure my older students will appreciate Tig's fanciful nature. It seems more like a book that would win a Newbery than a Cybils Award. It most resemebled Pennypacker's Summer of the Gypsy Moths, but without the dead body.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tig and her older brother Peter have been living on their own since their mother abandoned them months ago. When they are finally discovered, their uncle Scott and his partner Manny take them in. Tig is like a wild animal, though, impulsive, rude, destructive, and just waiting to be abandoned again. Peter, quiet and shy, is always on her side no matter what, even when she throws a vase into the big TV Scott bought for them, or steals from a local shop. What pulls them through is Tig's fascination with the Gloucester cheese race, and determination to recreate the event in their new, too-perfect town. Also helping is their adoption of an out-of-control-energetic but loving dog. Slowly, with much backsliding, Tig starts to believe that Scott and Manny won't abandon them. Will she ever believe enough to tell them everything that happened to her and Peter?

This joins the ranks of many other wonderful, poignant books about abandoned or abused or orphaned children trying to settle into new families with mixed success (Great Gilly Hopkins, Homecoming, Orbiting Jupiter, etc.). Tig especially is a vibrant, loud, larger-than-life character who makes terrible decisions because she's had to survive terrible things. I loved the quirkiness of the cheese-rolling obsession, and the unremarked-on relationship between Scott and Manny, among many other things. The SLJ noted that she had dyslexia, which I did pick up on, but also neurodivergence, which I'm less sure about. She just seemed like an impulsive, creative kid who had to find ways to survive that caused her mental trauma. And I did NOT see that big twist coming, so kudos to the author for that! Thanks to Libro.FM for a free educator copy of the audiobook.

[Jim Windisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tig by Heather Smith is a compelling and heartbreaking story of a girl finding her way after being abandoned. Going into this story knowing that Tig wanted to become a competitive cheese racer, I was expecting some zany comedy. In reality, the book is anything but funny. Tig and her brother Peter find themselves living with uncles they barely know after being left alone in a house when their mother doesn’t come back from a night out drinking with her boyfriend.

Despite the sad circumstances, this is a beautiful story about the ways Tig’s uncles work to earn her trust when she is unwilling to let down her walls. Uncle Scott and Manny even bring an unruly dog into their picture-perfect house in an effort to connect with Tig, and that chaos helps lighten the mood. Even though it isn’t zany, there is still cheese rolling, and those scenes introduce us to the delightful Mendoza twins, who manage to become Tig’s first friends in her new hometown. All of the events of the story support a theme of learning to let love in again after feeling abandoned and unworthy, and they do so in a way that never feels saccharine or heavy-handed..

Although I often shy away from stories with this much heartbreak at their core, I really enjoyed reading this one. The honesty of the characters (and the story’s concise, tightly focused length) made it work for me even though I wouldn’t usually pick up a book like this. And when everything comes together at the end, the emotional payoff is powerful without being overwrought. For a story just shy of 150 pages, Tig packs an unexpectedly big punch.

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program in exchange for an honest review.