Tyger

by S.F. Said, Dave McKean (illustrator)

In a strange alternate world, where the British Empire has never ended, a young boy called Adam has uncovered something incredible in a rubbish dump in London – a mysterious, mythical, magical animal. A Tyger

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Audiobook, Dystopia, Animals

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2022

About the author

Said grew up in the Iraqi diasporic community in London, moving there with his mother at the age of two. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, he worked as a press attaché and speech writer for the Crown Prince of Jordan’s office in London. He began a Ph.D. in 1997 looking at the lives of young Muslims in Britain, but left academia to focus on film journalism for the Daily Telegraph – where he brought attention to much 'world cinema', including contemporary Islamic cinema – and writing for children

Reviews

[Nikola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tak powinno się wydawać książki dla dzieci! Piękne ilustracje, które same stanowiły fabułę

[Tom Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely spectacular. Destined to become a classic children's novel, Tyger is a dark, magical, important and thrilling adventure that will captivate readers and change minds. It's fantastic. And the illustrations are glorious.

[wasteland baby]

we stan a giant immortal tiger who ends racism! paws up blake fans!! tyger tyger buring bright, bitch!!

[BooksForTopics · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've spent any time on edutwitter or children's booktok lately, you might know that SF Said's Tyger has been one of the most hotly anticipated titles due this Autumn. It's a fine thing when a children's book generates a huge buzz in the months building up to publication, and this one certainly did  - after all, with a well-loved author, an early drop of signed proofs, a beautiful cover by Dave McKean and just enough intrigue in the blurb to make you sit up and wonder, how could it not? Even better is when a book like this manages to really live up to the excitement generated. Did this one deliver?  We are pleased to say it did. 

This is an atmospheric story set in an alternative near-future London. The city is a dangerous place for many, dominated by strict social rules, a system of racial superiority and un-abolished slavery that developed from colonialism.  In this London, Adam and Zadie are both children who have been made to feel like outsiders. The story centres on their discovery of a mythical creature – a Tyger who is hiding after being hunted and wounded. Adam helps the injured Tyger and new friendship blossoms. Soon, the Tyger teaches Adam a renewed philosophical outlook on life and helps him to tap into his hidden gifts. The children set about to protect and save the Tyger, and as fear and oppression rage in the city of London, the children's courage to save the Tyger makes wider ripples than they could ever imagine.

There's something timelessly alluring about tigers in children's books, especially those that have time to sit down and talk with you. This Tyger has a mystical quality that will no doubt entice and intrigue young readers anew. Adult readers familiar with the work of William Blake won't fail to notice the allusions to Blakean mythology that filter through text, illustrations and that striking cover.  The Tyger in SF Said's book offers Adam and Zadie something of the mystical and spiritual encounter that Blake hoped to offer his readers; a temporary liberation from the 'mind-forged manacles' of the material world and a hope-filled reminder of the power of human spirit.

SF Said's fanbase will be thrilled to read this new adventure - laced with danger, edged with fantasy and packed to the core with thinking and discussion points that link to very real issues in society. Despite the serious themes explored, Said writes with optimism and hope, showing how joy and light can always be found in the darkest of times. This story will no doubt find a home in the hearts of Upper KS2 readers who love mythology, quest stories and an encouter with something deeper.


Many thanks to the publisher for our early proof copy. The book is featured as one of our October Books of the Month: https://www.booksfortopics.com/octobe....

[Josh Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and powerful story set in an alternate London where the British Empire never ended and slavery was never abolished. A young boy named Adam is nearly robbed, after being picked out as a foreigner in this alternate London, but is saved by a creature of legend, a Tyger. In this universe, Tigers were hunted to extinction years ago and quickly became creatures of myth. The Tyger informs Adam that he must help her to escape from her captors by finding the mysterious Guardians, and Adam sets out on a quest to find them.

This story is a lot darker than I had expected going in, with very, very heavy themes of racism and prejudice throughout and even scenes of executions where it goes into quite a lot of detail. However, Tyger also has some very heartwarming moments too, Adam feels like a real boy with his own fears and worries and also feels very hopeful, in this world where everyone is terrible to anyone from another land, he still dreams of becoming an artist and selling his work, even though his parents have forbidden him from drawing.
There was also a very interesting magic system that didn't seem to be toned down for kids to read and understand, which i appreciated a lot (with an awesome fight sequence toward the end of the novel).

I very much enjoyed Tyger, Adam and Tyger have a great bond throughout the story and it has a very satisfying pay off at the end of the novel. There also seemed to be a message throughout that our enemies are not our neighbours, but the people pulling the strings, and I thought that was quite poignant with what is going on in the real world today as well.

On a side note, the illustrations for this book are absolutely gorgeous and Dave Mckean should be applauded for them.

I would definitely recommend Tyger to more advanced readers, pre/early teens due to very heavy themes and moments of racism, prejudice, slavery and acts of violence.

[Skye Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is truly a phenomenal!!
From the moment I started to read the first chapter I knew I was going to love it!!
The story itself turned out nothing I expected it to be, but way better!
The illustrations in the book are beautifully done.
And the ending is perfect!
This book is definitely one of my new favorites!!

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a powerful story with such an overwhelming emotional ending that it made me cry! Books don't do that to me very often so when one does that it's special indeed. Plus the theme in here is such an important subject too. It's about freedom and about believing in your dreams. Yes, you can be what you want to be but you have to believe in yourself! And the plotline is this huge "defeat evil" type of story where two kids have to face this huge enemy to save this beautiful tiger. But as in most of these situations, the kids have nothing while the enemy is wealthy and has all of these troops. The odds seem impossible! So how do you turn that around??

This was such a pleasure to read. The story moves fast and yet there is incredible details that brings this dark version of London to life. And many of the characters stood out to me in here too, even if they had very short roles. Like the two men who take care of the sheep outside of town, including Lamb. But this London is absolutely horrible with gates and guards checking your papers. More and more land gets stolen from the people and locked up behind fences. I could practically feel the despair and the danger.

The magic in here was enchanting! And it brings hope.

Hope definitely shines in this book.

And the art in here is absolutely incredible! This is some of the best drawings I have seen. And there are so many of them too.

I am really glad I read this.

[LudmilaM · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVED the Varjak Paw books. Especially the spiritual aspect, which is featured in this book as well (three doors to enter etc), which again I loved.
But I was very disturbed at the depiction of British Empire as inherently evil that keeps slaves and hates foreigners, since nothing could be fruther from the truth in the present day UK. I'm not sure when the story is supposed to take place, I understood in the present as an alternative reality.
As a foreigner and immigrant myself, I encountered nothing but welcoming and pleasant behaviour from the UK citizens. UK is one of the loveliest countries in Europe and I'm very grateful to live here.
No minorities and foreigners are oppressed in 21.st century Britain, or the western world for that matter. I don't know why we insist on living in the past and bringing up the past constantly. Don't we realize that British Empire was the first to abolish slavery, even before the USA? Don't we realize that there are more slaves nowadays in African and Asian continent than ever before in history? Why don't we talk about that? Why are we not honest about history and the present?
As a person who grew up in communist regime, it's sad for me to see so much propaganda in books, especially for children. It can only cause hatred of young people to their own country, and cause more division among us. That's why I gave this book only two stars.

[Anirudh Kukreja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely loved this book! I hate the fact that I was once a teenager and this book did not exist at the time; adolescent me would've gone crazy over such a novel. All the characters are heartwarming, loveable and simply fantastic.

Deducted one star because, and I know it's a YA novel, I really wished a better explanation regarding the story was available. I am still unsure as to what exactly led to the sequence of events that transpired in this book and also what the ending meant.

[Sawyer Czlapinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly phenomenal!!!!! From the story itself to the artwork! This book was soooo good! If you like animals, magic, and just a cool book? I highly recommend!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing that would have made this book better is if I read it before the age of 15

For any kid who reads chapter books that will show up in my life until I die, I will be giving them a copy of this book. If I would’ve read this book when I was young, I don’t think I would’ve hated history as a subject as much as I did.

On top of ending racism in the coolest way possible, this book really did make me feel that little ball of glowing light in my chest. Wow.

[Vicky Hard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story full of hope and promise of better days and better ways. SF Said’s writing is timeless and I’m sure this will become as loved as Varjak Paw in the fullness of time.
Adam discovers an injured Tyger in a rubbish dump while escaping from someone who would harm him. He has no idea how special and life-changing the Tyger will be to him and his friend Zadie as they embark on an adventure through the streets of London to save the tyger’s life and their own.

[J Thorne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are wonderful! Adam and Zadie. Loved their characters and friendship. However, there was something missing with this book. The baddie was a bit... vague. And the descriptions of an alternative London and the reasons why it was like it was, didn't develop until past halfway through. I understand what the author was aiming for, but it fell flat, for me. Its as if the author had more to say, but an editor took it out? I struggled to finish it.

[Danie Ware · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beautiful, more artwork than prose and etched with Dave McKean’s drawings like pieces of dreams. Dealing with some sharp and always contemporary political and social issues, it pits two children and the tyger against the gloriously-named Maldehyde, and against the ever-present greed and cruelty that leave stains down the years. With sights of a London both lost and completely familiar, this is a tale of gold light and magic, and one to bring hope to us all.

[Capn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 30th book of the 2026 MG Summer Reading Challenge, and a new favourite

I think I'm almost speechless. THAT was a Good Read! :D

. . .

Yeah, I'm going to have to sleep on this and decide if I can do it any justice at all with a review.

<3

[Leesdromen · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Sometimes a book leaves you speechless, leaves you with hope, many insights and teaches you to be open to the world and to all people in the world.

This book will stay with me ✨🐅

[Mihaela Sorlea Tentis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark but mesmerising tale of magic, cruelty, hope and, of course, a tyger. Beautiful illustrations.

[Heather Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was cute, very lion witch in the wardrobe vibes.

[Leanne Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Tigers. I love Blake. I love art. This book combines all three with important messages about spirituality, self belief and overcoming barriers (both oppressively inflicted and self inflicted through doubt). I felt that the narrative was a little too perfect and rosy towards the end; but frankly I can stomach that because I was emotionally committed by that point. If only our own world could be so cultured and warmly connected to community as it grows to be in this book.

[Victor The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking place where it appears to be set during the British Empire, we follow the story of a British boy named Adam who works as a delivery boy for his working family while enduring prejudice for their Muslim heritage and skin color. When Adam is suddenly confronted by a knifed man, he is unexpectedly rescued by a giant mythical tiger who is also wounded. As he keeps their encounter a secret from his family, Adam discovers that the tiger was held captive by a rich and ruthless Englishman who has an admired zoo full of exotic animals and is now trying to find her. With the help of his friend Zadie and her father, they will work together to save the tiger while finding many magical surprises and face potential danger.

“Tyger” is probably one of my favorite children’s novels this year as it’s just so magically unique and realistic, yet more suitable for middle grade. It has a dark but spiritual fantasy feel, very similar to Pullman’s “His Dark Materials”, while combining a few elements from “1001 Arabian Nights”. McKean’s beautifully eerie art perfectly matches the story’s theme. Adam’s story gets very tense and even dangerous as soon as he meets Tyger, yet there’s full of surprises, determination and strength. There’s also heavy topics in Adam’s story that involves race, family, and slavery that play large parts.

It’s an emotional powerful fantasy that can get very dark but slowly brings a light of hope and change. A (100%/Outstanding)

[Owen Townend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid effort from a children's author who deserves greater acclaim.

Tyger is a dystopian adventure featuring an alternate history that begs the question: what would have happened had slavery not been abolished in Great Britain? The answer Said presents is shockingly relevant to today's political climate: where the upper classes play on xenophobia to keep the lower-classes in their place while snatching up all profit and property.

The story focuses on Adam Alhambra, a young lad who is the delivery boy of his family though really he dreams of becoming an artist. However his parents fear that this will draw unwanted attention and lead to greater persecution than they already suffer for having darker skin. However, when he stumbles onto the last living Tyger in a derelict building, magic takes hold of Adam's humble life and danger isn't far behind.

Tyger reminds me a lot of Varjak Paw, a previous novel by Said that I adored, mostly for its feline focus and chapter lessons in opening up the mind to achieve remarkable things. However, the rest of this novel seems like a very timely reminder that more unites us than we think and that the real threat comes from pale, well-dressed men who lure the needy into insurmountable debt and in-fighting.

That being said I wasn't convinced by the villain reveal at the end. Without giving too much away, I felt that there should be two baddies in this narrative: one being earthbound to maintain the theme of humanity's capacity for cruelty. Also the epilogue seemed to close the door on a sequel which I think Tyger deserves.

Despite this, I was really drawn to the glorious Tyger, the quick-witted Zadie and the lovably dim farmers. Also Dave McKean's illustration remains as impeccable as ever and really brought the transcendental elements of this novel to life.

Though I did not enjoy it quite as much as Varjak Paw, Tyger is still a brilliant novel from the talented Said and I recommend it to anyone who wants to teach their children about the true legacy of the British Empire.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for work. Sad to say I did not enjoy this one! I feel like I must be missing something, looking at other reviews. The language was very bland and dialogue felt over the top and slightly unnatural. I did enjoy the plot and the characters were excellent. Perhaps I am just not the target audience!

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just finished reading Tyger.
Mind is all a blur.
I need to think and reflect on.thw experience but also just respond to my initial thoughts


Wow.
This is a book like few others.
Instantly, I'm reminded.of Skellig of Narnia, of the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, and the River of London fantasy series of books.

OF Course, I'm reminded of the little I know about William Blake. His mythology shimmers through every.page, every pore of this astonishing book

SF Said has clearly written masterpiece, filled with spirituality and wonder (like Skellig), a glittering creation. Like Skellig, it is written.in quite a simple style but what clarity!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a pretty story 🥰

[Mady · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an alternative world where London is the capital of an empire and slavery hasn’t been abolished, Adam a foreigner boy, is saved from being robbed by a scary being. Tyger is a magical creature who is wounded and needs Adam’s help to find the Guardians who can save her.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet homage to William Blake that I think he would have approved of! The Tyger was lovely, vibrant and evocative, especially with Dave Kean's accompanying illustrations. In a less deeply flawed world, I'd perhaps call this book a smidge heavy-handed, but in a world where we had anti-immigrant riots in this country just last year, maybe a heavy hand is needed.

I did find the magical world a touch cloying and wonder if the child reader would be impressed by magical powers that included 'perception' and 'imagination' -- understand that Said was going for a "the power was within you all along" but you can make things too mundane. Ultimately, it had the feel of a Biblical parable in many ways, which I think can be really hard NOT to do when you're working from William Blake as a starting point. However, I think the child reader is sensitive to when the didactic lapses into the worthy and I wonder if it crosses that line. I love S.F. Said's work in literacy and advocacy and this is definitely in line with all of this. A strong message, even if I didn't adore the execution.

One thing I think this book would benefit from is a historical note explaining exactly what is going on with the setting. We're in an alternate London where slavery was never abolished and the British Empire never collapsed. This is interesting as a starting point, but the setting feels so historical that I wonder if some will read it as historical fantasy, rather than dystopia paralleling our own world in vital ways. Perhaps the whole problem could be solved by printing an actual blurb on the back cover rather than the vague ramble that is on the paperback.

[Sammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really, really not the target audience for this. An impulse buy at the counter in Waterstones, along with another book, because the cover of this one is just stunning. unfortunately, the sales lady trying to get me to buy it, neglected to mention it was a kids book.

If you have young kids, or enjoy books aimed at that audience (I'd go with maybe 6-10 for this one, definitely not much older), then you might enjoy this. But if you prefer more adult fare, this has cringe-worthy writing and some excessively heavy-handed allegory (perfect for it's target audience, but not so much if you would like more subtlety).

But oh man, that cover! If I wasn't thinking of moving house soon, I would keep the book purely for that, but I'm not sure I really want to lug it halfway across the UK if I didn't actually enjoy the book!

[Alistair Montague · Rating 3 out of 5]

Videorecensione sul profilo Instagram della libreria il pensiero meridiano.

[Andrea Barlien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite stunning! Lyrical and spiritual - oh what fearful symmetry

[Neill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm surprised a book of rehashed, tired tropes and watered-down characters won Book of the Year