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Tiger Boy
"One of the new tiger cubs has escaped from the reserve!" When a tiger cub escapes from a nature reserve near Neel's island village, the rangers and villagers hurry to find her before the cub's anxious mother follows suit and endangers them all. Mr. Gupta, a rich newcomer to the island, is also searching--he wants to sell the cub's body parts on the black market. Neel and his sister, Rupa, resolve to find the cub first and bring her back to the reserve where she belongs.
The hunt for the cub interrupts Neel's preparations for an exam to win a prestigious scholarship at a boarding school far from home. Neel doesn't mind--he dreads the exam and would rather stay on his beloved island in the Sunderbans of West Bengal with his family and friends.
But through his encounter with the cub, Neil learns that sometimes you have to take risks to preserve what you love. And sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the chance to improve the future.
Awards & Honors
* Notable Books for a Global Society
* NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction (Honorable Mention)
* CBC-NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
* A Junior Library Guild Selection
* CCBC Choices
* North Dakota Library Association Flicker Tale Children's Book Award nominee, intermediate fiction
* South Asia Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature
The hunt for the cub interrupts Neel's preparations for an exam to win a prestigious scholarship at a boarding school far from home. Neel doesn't mind--he dreads the exam and would rather stay on his beloved island in the Sunderbans of West Bengal with his family and friends.
But through his encounter with the cub, Neil learns that sometimes you have to take risks to preserve what you love. And sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the chance to improve the future.
Awards & Honors
* Notable Books for a Global Society
* NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction (Honorable Mention)
* CBC-NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
* A Junior Library Guild Selection
* CCBC Choices
* North Dakota Library Association Flicker Tale Children's Book Award nominee, intermediate fiction
* South Asia Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
31 people are currently reading
501 people want to read
About the author
Mitali Perkins
25 books577 followersMitali Perkins has written many books for young readers as well as a couple for adults, including You Bring the Distant Near (nominated for the National Book Award) Rickshaw Girl (a NYPL best 100 Book for children in the past 100 years, film adaptation at rickshawgirlmovie.com), Bamboo People (an ALA Top 10 YA novel), and Forward Me Back to You, which won the South Asia Book Award for Younger Readers. Her newest novel, Hope in the Valley, received five starred reviews and was selected as a Best Book for Young Readers by Kirkus and Book Page. She currently writes and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area: mitaliperkins.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
September 30, 2020
Fabulous book that I can't wait to recommend to 4th-6th graders! Neel lives on an island in Bangladesh and has been picked to sit an exam that will give him the chance for a boarding school scholarship. But, he doesn't want to leave his beloved island, even if it means the chance for a better life. Throw in a terrible rich man who is cruel, a baby tiger from the nearby reserve that has escaped, and a daring rescue of the baby tiger before the cruel person sells it for meat and skin, and this is a gripping adventure as well as a beautiful tale of family, culture, and caring for the animals of this world.
August 7, 2015
This is a beautiful, tightly told, moving tale, set in the Sundarbans, a region of mangrove forests and ocean-mixing-with-land in Bangladesh and India that I’d love to visit one day. It’s home to the endangered Bengal tiger, and also to struggling farmers, equally endangered thanks to climate change and the storms and rising seawaters that it’s brought. In this setting, we meet Neel, a boy with a good head for schoolwork who’s weighted down by his family’s and headmaster’s hopes and expectations that he win a scholarship to Kolkata for secondary school. It would mean a better life for his family, but Neel loves his home and doesn’t want to leave.
But times are tough at home: Neel’s mother has been sick, so his father, a farmer and fisherman, has taken on extra work for rich Mr. Gupta, a newly arrived businessman with a reputation for corruption who’s throwing his weight around. When a tiger cub manages to slip out from the nearby reserve, the rangers urge the villagers to help search for it so it can be returned to the reserve. Neel learns that Mr. Gupta is offering a huge reward for it—because Mr. Gupta intends to kill the cub and sell its organs on the black market. Neel persuades his older sister that they must find the cub first and return it to the reserve.
There’s so much going on in this story. Perkins captures all the terribly fraught family dynamics, while also showing how strong family love is. I especially appreciated the relationship between Neel and his sister Rupa, who was pulled out of school to help around the house. How she yearns to have Neel’s opportunities—and yet she helps and supports him with big sisterly affection. Neel’s mother and father are equally well drawn, and I adored his headmaster, who loves to spout English-language aphorisms, but can’t get them quite right.
And then there are the tigers—a source of pride for the region, and tourist dollars, but also dangerous: people are killed by the tigers each year. And the reserve puts many areas off limits for fishing, though people do slip in to fish, despite the danger. With people living such precarious lives, it’s easy for them to be strong-armed by a guy like Gupta. Neel’s story is marvelous—how math (the subject he hates) plays into his and his sister’s tiger cub rescue, and how he comes to terms with the hopes that are riding on him—but as an adult, I was keenly aware of his father’s story, and his mother’s story, and Perkins puts those parts in too. In short: I loved all the characters.
I think young readers should love this book—it’s exciting, relatable, and opens a door on another world for US readers. And parents or older readers who happen to pick it up will love it too.
But times are tough at home: Neel’s mother has been sick, so his father, a farmer and fisherman, has taken on extra work for rich Mr. Gupta, a newly arrived businessman with a reputation for corruption who’s throwing his weight around. When a tiger cub manages to slip out from the nearby reserve, the rangers urge the villagers to help search for it so it can be returned to the reserve. Neel learns that Mr. Gupta is offering a huge reward for it—because Mr. Gupta intends to kill the cub and sell its organs on the black market. Neel persuades his older sister that they must find the cub first and return it to the reserve.
There’s so much going on in this story. Perkins captures all the terribly fraught family dynamics, while also showing how strong family love is. I especially appreciated the relationship between Neel and his sister Rupa, who was pulled out of school to help around the house. How she yearns to have Neel’s opportunities—and yet she helps and supports him with big sisterly affection. Neel’s mother and father are equally well drawn, and I adored his headmaster, who loves to spout English-language aphorisms, but can’t get them quite right.
And then there are the tigers—a source of pride for the region, and tourist dollars, but also dangerous: people are killed by the tigers each year. And the reserve puts many areas off limits for fishing, though people do slip in to fish, despite the danger. With people living such precarious lives, it’s easy for them to be strong-armed by a guy like Gupta. Neel’s story is marvelous—how math (the subject he hates) plays into his and his sister’s tiger cub rescue, and how he comes to terms with the hopes that are riding on him—but as an adult, I was keenly aware of his father’s story, and his mother’s story, and Perkins puts those parts in too. In short: I loved all the characters.
I think young readers should love this book—it’s exciting, relatable, and opens a door on another world for US readers. And parents or older readers who happen to pick it up will love it too.
January 31, 2015
This is a riveting and fun story about an Indian boy named Neel trying to rescue a tiger cub before an unscrupulous businessman, who is destroying the boy's island, can capture the cub and sell it on the black market. In the midst of his hope to find and save the cub, Neel is also dealing with great expectations his family and village have for his future. Neel's headmaster thinks he's the smartest boy in his grade and has entered him in a contest to win a scholarship. Neel isn't all that enthusiastic about the idea of winning the scholarship, especially if it means leaving home, and Neel's relationship with math is anything but happy. These two threads in Neel's life, along with his relationship with friends, parents, and sister, are woven into a wonderful story that will keep you reading all the way to the end.
Written as a companion to Rickshaw Girl, this book is sure to win similar acclaim and honors. We'll carry it in our shop, in San Mateo and online atReach And Teach as soon as it is released!
Written as a companion to Rickshaw Girl, this book is sure to win similar acclaim and honors. We'll carry it in our shop, in San Mateo and online atReach And Teach as soon as it is released!
November 9, 2021
Loved the story about a brother and sister and their love and bravery and the importance of education and hard work.
The value of integrity.
And how tempted even men of integrity can be , when faced with the future of their children.. but how they get past the temptation by the inspirational children he has raised.
The description if the Sunderland and the difficulty in earning the living there is also shown here.
The love Neil has towards Sunderland and its creatures and trees is also shown well.
And so is the solution to Neil's dilemma of having to leave The Sunderbans to Kolkata if he won the scholarship, beautiful.
My 6 year olds loved the story too.The tiger cub and Neil's and Rupa's rescue of the cub.. was a thrilling journey we took together.
The value of integrity.
And how tempted even men of integrity can be , when faced with the future of their children.. but how they get past the temptation by the inspirational children he has raised.
The description if the Sunderland and the difficulty in earning the living there is also shown here.
The love Neil has towards Sunderland and its creatures and trees is also shown well.
And so is the solution to Neil's dilemma of having to leave The Sunderbans to Kolkata if he won the scholarship, beautiful.
My 6 year olds loved the story too.The tiger cub and Neil's and Rupa's rescue of the cub.. was a thrilling journey we took together.
May 28, 2019
What a beautiful story that addresses human-wildlife coexistence/conflict in the Sundarbans. I am so glad a book about this topic exists for young readers! Perkins skillfully addresses many important topics such as the complex relationships between people and tigers in the region, the value of traditional ecological knowledge, and the effects of natural disasters on islands and the link to climate change. It's all accessible and engaging for the reader. I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!
March 24, 2021
“Tiger boy” by mitali Perkins
The book is about a Bangali boy who saved a baby cub from being handed over to poachers on the the black market, not only was this boy smart and cunning, but this book is also nostalgic to the cultural readers out there, a poignant and adventurous read.
I highly recommend this book, you won’t want to put it down!
The book is about a Bangali boy who saved a baby cub from being handed over to poachers on the the black market, not only was this boy smart and cunning, but this book is also nostalgic to the cultural readers out there, a poignant and adventurous read.
I highly recommend this book, you won’t want to put it down!
July 11, 2017
A quick, simple story about doing the right thing. It was hard to get into at first because so many of the characters are unlikable for the first half of the story--but things improve as the search for the baby tiger escalates.
April 14, 2015
A fast-paced, engrossing story with compelling conflicts and evocative descriptions.
October 30, 2019
Such a beautiful story. Loved the characters, the vivid setting, and the way the ending wrapped up all loose ends. Thank you for this story, Mitali Perkins!
November 6, 2020
I have found a new favorite author! I loved Rickshaw Girl, then Tiger Boy and have almost finished Forward Me Back to You!
October 13, 2021
My boys loved this and were jumping for joy through certain parts
March 9, 2023
This is a wonderful story! My kids loved this book and we talked a lot about both the setting and the various moral dilemmas presented.
May 28, 2017
This book was the winner for the 2016 South Asian Book Award. This book was read on the Kindle edition. I enjoyed reading it on the Kindle because I can start reading it on my computer and move onto my ipad, or travel and read it on my iphone. It is also easy to find pages or city. The only downside of reading it on the Kindle is not being able to flip pages of a real book. This book follows a boy, Neel, in the third person, who lives on an island near India and Bangladesh. Neel was selected to compete in an exam to help him move to the big city of Kolkata and have a great education, however, he lacked motivation to study math, which is his weaker subject. In addition, during the story a tiger cub escapes the reserve and Neel wants to find the cub before Gupta, rich man who is trying to take over the island. Gupta plans to take the tiger cub and sell it on the black market. Will Neel find the cub before Gupta? Will Neel be able to muster up some motivation and win the competition? This book does a really nice getting into the life of a child in/near India and depicts their lives accurately. This book also has a glossary in the back with Bengali words that are used in the story. Another aspect of this book that I love is the Author's note that discusses the island and the dangers the people and tigers of the island face. It has a great story on saving the tigers from poaching. This book is appropriate for older elementary grades or middle school students. I think this book would be a great book to read to help students think about environmental issues and helping animals survive. A great discussion could also be had about life in rural India/Bangladesh. Students can discuss similarities and differences between their lives and the lives of the children in this story. I think that students will be able to relate to some aspects of Neel's life and build a connection with his character.
March 21, 2024
Fun book for kids age 6-10. A Tiger cub has escaped the preserve and two kids are determined to find her before the poachers do. A good story about courage.
October 16, 2025
An easy, fun and informative story of life on a tiny island, Sunderbans of West Bengal. I loved the quote, “sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the chance to improve the future”. Very good read. Highly recommend for middle schoolers and adults!
August 21, 2022
A really good read. Makes you understand how being "successful" in life is different for everyone.
March 25, 2021
"Many things in life are worth more than money."
Neel and his family live in the Sunderbans, an archipelago off the coasts of India and Bangladesh. It isn't an easy life, but they are a tight-knit and loving family. The families of the island are struggling to recover from a recent cyclone that has done severe damage to their homes and crops. But Neel's father, Baba, has recovered better than most because of his motto: "Protect the tigers. Plant trees." It is the presence of the Golpata trees that Baba had planted that protected them from the storm. During the rebuild, Baba has started working for Gupta, a greedy landowner who seems to be taking over the island.
With his friends, Ajay and Viju, Neel loves living on the island and one day dreams of following in his father's footsteps. But the Headmaster at the local school has other plans for Neel. Because he is the smartest student in his class, the Headmaster has chosen him as the one to compete for a scholarship to the prestigious St. James Secondary Boarding School in Kolkata, India. Only one scholarship is awarded for all the students in the islands. And even though his family would benefit greatly if he would win the scholarship, Neel can't bear the thought of leaving his home and family. So, his lack of commitment to studying for the test has put him behind. And now, the headmaster says he will only be able to catch up with the help of a tutor. But Neel's family can't afford that.
One day, Viju tells Neel about the baby tiger that has escaped from the reserve and has more than likely ended up on their island. Gupta is hiring men to track down the baby tiger and Viju's father is one of them. But Neel knows that Gupta will sell the baby tiger on the black market, most likely killing it in the process. He is determined to find the baby tiger first and return it to the rangers on the reserve. He enlists the help of his sister, Rupa. But desperate for money to pay for a tutor, Baba agrees to work for Gupta to help find the baby tiger. Neel does not want to dishonor his father, but he knows in his heart that "Getting her to safety is the best way we can respect everything that Baba taught us. Surely he would see that?"
A great book for students to learn about another way of life. There would be some wonderful discussion opportunities if this was done as a read aloud. There are great resources in the back of the book that could lend themselves to students learning more about the Sunderbans and the plight of the Bengal tiger.
Neel and his family live in the Sunderbans, an archipelago off the coasts of India and Bangladesh. It isn't an easy life, but they are a tight-knit and loving family. The families of the island are struggling to recover from a recent cyclone that has done severe damage to their homes and crops. But Neel's father, Baba, has recovered better than most because of his motto: "Protect the tigers. Plant trees." It is the presence of the Golpata trees that Baba had planted that protected them from the storm. During the rebuild, Baba has started working for Gupta, a greedy landowner who seems to be taking over the island.
With his friends, Ajay and Viju, Neel loves living on the island and one day dreams of following in his father's footsteps. But the Headmaster at the local school has other plans for Neel. Because he is the smartest student in his class, the Headmaster has chosen him as the one to compete for a scholarship to the prestigious St. James Secondary Boarding School in Kolkata, India. Only one scholarship is awarded for all the students in the islands. And even though his family would benefit greatly if he would win the scholarship, Neel can't bear the thought of leaving his home and family. So, his lack of commitment to studying for the test has put him behind. And now, the headmaster says he will only be able to catch up with the help of a tutor. But Neel's family can't afford that.
One day, Viju tells Neel about the baby tiger that has escaped from the reserve and has more than likely ended up on their island. Gupta is hiring men to track down the baby tiger and Viju's father is one of them. But Neel knows that Gupta will sell the baby tiger on the black market, most likely killing it in the process. He is determined to find the baby tiger first and return it to the rangers on the reserve. He enlists the help of his sister, Rupa. But desperate for money to pay for a tutor, Baba agrees to work for Gupta to help find the baby tiger. Neel does not want to dishonor his father, but he knows in his heart that "Getting her to safety is the best way we can respect everything that Baba taught us. Surely he would see that?"
A great book for students to learn about another way of life. There would be some wonderful discussion opportunities if this was done as a read aloud. There are great resources in the back of the book that could lend themselves to students learning more about the Sunderbans and the plight of the Bengal tiger.
November 15, 2019
Such a well written book that is touching and makes me really think about how fortunate I am to get a good education. The story follows a boy named Neel who lives on an island in the Sunderbans of West Bengal. His family is very poor along with many other people living on his island. Unfortunately, his family was not able to get a very good education because they had to work at a young age to support his family. But Neel is very gifted in reading and writing in Bengal and English which has gotten him the opportunity to take a test for a scholarship for him to go to a very nice boarding school and get a good education. Though Neel is unmotivated to do good in this test because he is not good at math and he doesn’t want to leave his island or family. On top of this, a tiger cub as escaped from a nearby reserve and Neel wants to find the cub before a man named Mr. Gupta finds it to sell on the black market. Neel must make sacrifices to save this cub and learns many lessons along the way that change his outlook on his future. The story was an easy read and very interesting to learn about Bengal and the way some people like Neel live in the Sunderbans. There are also great illustrations done with black pastel scattered throughout the book that help give you a picture of the setting and the emotions in the characters.
February 8, 2017
Tiger Boy is a wonderful story of family and home. Neel loves his home in the Sunderbans. He never wants to leave. He is in contention for a scholarship though that would lead to possibilities of employment in the future that could help his family. He struggles because the last thing he wants to do is leave, but his family doesn't have enough money for his sister to get an education and his father works very hard. He could change his family's situation if he leaves.
I found it to be a quick read that will be great for young chapter book readers. There is action as they search for a missing tiger and readers also learn about a unique place in our world.
I found it to be a quick read that will be great for young chapter book readers. There is action as they search for a missing tiger and readers also learn about a unique place in our world.
May 17, 2019
Grades 4 and up might enjoy this story of life on the Sunderban islands in West Bengal, India. The main character, Neel, must decide if he wants to study hard enough to win a scholarship that will take him away from his beloved island home for a few years. In the meantime, there is a tiger cub to save from poachers who want to kill it andmoney worries in his family. A graceful, respectful depiction of every day life, customs and culture, along with larger issues of conservation and stewardship.
April 28, 2020
For a short read, this book hits a lot of interesting topics. Love the setting -- the Sundarbans off the coast of India, next to a tiger preserve. I found Neel to be quite a sympathetic character -- deeply attached to his family, thoughtful about opportunities he has that his sister and father did not, very concerned about his home and the trees and animals that reside there. There's some intense adventure, quick moving plot, good resolution, and I really like the book's layout -- both the chapter decorations and the illustrations. Altogether, really well done.
September 23, 2017
What a terrific addition to our 3rd grade classroom. We are planning on exploring global habitats, endangered animals and global geography. I can't wait to share this with the class to get them talking about all the issues that are presented here. It will be a stretch for them because it is so far from what they know - but what a terrific stretch to attempt.
Read
May 20, 2015A beautiful middle grade read. The tension builds wonderfully, the characters feel so real. And I loved the illustrations! (I don't know why reviewers don't also focus on those in middle grade books when they are so important to the readers.)
August 11, 2019
While not a lengthy book, many lessons about culture, education, geography, and our planet will follow after reading this book. I appreciate the glossary and learning about a part of the world which I was not familiar.
June 16, 2019
ICCA 2018-2019
One of my favorites this year.
One of my favorites this year.
April 3, 2018
Sometimes authors try so hard to convey an important message that they lose track of their characters and the story itself. Not so in this case. Perkins writes with a clear, approachable style that brings her characters to richly developed life while deftly introducing readers to the Sunderbans, an archipelago of islands near Kolkata, India.
Neel, youngest in his family of four, has been nominated for a scholarship that will allow him to achieve the kind of education few from these islands have the opportunity to pursue. The problem is, he doesn't want to leave - this land is his home, and he has no desire to leave his friends and family behind for a so-called better life.
There are bigger issues at stake, though. Pummeled by storms and with few money-making opportunities, everyone on the island does what they must to survive. This includes cutting down precious resources for a spoiled, wealthy man attempting to set down destructive roots in their land - or hunting a baby tiger for his despicable poaching purposes.
It's a fairly simple story (it's a children's book, after all), but the correlation between the baby tiger's journey and Neel's is compelling despite its lack of real subtlety.
The best part, for me, was the deep focus on Neel's family. Although he's introduced with two other boys his age, the story doesn't take the traditional Boys Going On Adventures route. Instead, Neel's older sister joins him on his hunt for the tiger cub, as they attempt to return it to the safety of the nature preserve before time runs out. It's refreshing to have a sibling dynamic that isn't built around rivalry or waspish lectures from an overbearing sister. They respect and help one another, even under the toughest of circumstances.
Then there's Neel's relationship with his father - an intelligent, capable man who wasn't able to finish his education, but who builds beautiful things and cherishes his land, including its vegetation and wildlife. When Neel's father bows under the pressure to hunt the cub for badly-needed money, Neel loses the stability he'd always relied upon. Can his father be trusted anymore? And is leaving his home the best way for Neel to protect it?
It's a slim book, packed with believable, thoughtful depictions of the complexities of even the most loving families.
It's also a book that Perkins states she wrote to bring attention to issues - climate change, reduced habitats, conservation, survival of village communities - that require global effort to solve. The final pages include links to organizations that, like Neel, are attempting to save the Sunderbans, and the people and animals living on them.
Neel, youngest in his family of four, has been nominated for a scholarship that will allow him to achieve the kind of education few from these islands have the opportunity to pursue. The problem is, he doesn't want to leave - this land is his home, and he has no desire to leave his friends and family behind for a so-called better life.
There are bigger issues at stake, though. Pummeled by storms and with few money-making opportunities, everyone on the island does what they must to survive. This includes cutting down precious resources for a spoiled, wealthy man attempting to set down destructive roots in their land - or hunting a baby tiger for his despicable poaching purposes.
It's a fairly simple story (it's a children's book, after all), but the correlation between the baby tiger's journey and Neel's is compelling despite its lack of real subtlety.
The best part, for me, was the deep focus on Neel's family. Although he's introduced with two other boys his age, the story doesn't take the traditional Boys Going On Adventures route. Instead, Neel's older sister joins him on his hunt for the tiger cub, as they attempt to return it to the safety of the nature preserve before time runs out. It's refreshing to have a sibling dynamic that isn't built around rivalry or waspish lectures from an overbearing sister. They respect and help one another, even under the toughest of circumstances.
Then there's Neel's relationship with his father - an intelligent, capable man who wasn't able to finish his education, but who builds beautiful things and cherishes his land, including its vegetation and wildlife. When Neel's father bows under the pressure to hunt the cub for badly-needed money, Neel loses the stability he'd always relied upon. Can his father be trusted anymore? And is leaving his home the best way for Neel to protect it?
It's a slim book, packed with believable, thoughtful depictions of the complexities of even the most loving families.
It's also a book that Perkins states she wrote to bring attention to issues - climate change, reduced habitats, conservation, survival of village communities - that require global effort to solve. The final pages include links to organizations that, like Neel, are attempting to save the Sunderbans, and the people and animals living on them.
March 12, 2021
On a Sunday, running to the grocery store typically seems as useful as a submarine with a screen door. The crowds. The items that are sold out. The search for elusive parking spots. And later - remembering where you actually left your car as you struggle to push your cumbersome cart filled with impulse buys of questionable health benefit while compensating for a malfunctioning right front wheel that threatens to steer you right into the steady flow of cars snaking through the lot.
As I bemoan my fate, however, I am inevitably reminded of a speaker who left an impression on me as he explained his first time at an American grocery store. Having recently arrived from a refugee camp, he stood stuck in the pet food aisle - not because he was shopping on a Sunday and the aisles were that crowded - but because we had a whole aisle of food reserved just for pets. More space was filled with treats and toys, and brands of food for furry friends than his local market had available for his community. Period.
Shopping on a Sunday is a first-world problem. If you still aren't sold, consider the inhabitants of villages located in the dense mangrove forests straddling the India-Bangladesh border. In this region, residents survive by fishing in murky channels or gathering honey and wood found deep in the forest. This is an endeavor filled with life-threatening obstacles such as deadly encounters with crocodiles, snakes, and the Bengal tiger. In regions like this, many women have lost husbands and sons in tiger attacks. And it is in a region like this that Tiger Boy is set.
When a tiger cub escapes from the reserve, some in the village would like to sell the cub's body parts to the black market. In an area where prospects are sparse, this is a chance to pay for schooling opportunities that will allow children to help raise the standard of living for their entire impoverished family. So, when Neel's father joins the hunting of the cub, Neel must decide whether to let it go or work against this man he loves and admires. Readers will be immersed in a situation that will cause them to make their own decisions as they follow the journey. At what point should a person sacrifice the present for a chance to make the future better?
At a guided reading level of V, Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins was a 2018-2019 Iowa Children's Choice nominee and is perfect for readers who love animals and want to protect them.
Tiger Boy
As I bemoan my fate, however, I am inevitably reminded of a speaker who left an impression on me as he explained his first time at an American grocery store. Having recently arrived from a refugee camp, he stood stuck in the pet food aisle - not because he was shopping on a Sunday and the aisles were that crowded - but because we had a whole aisle of food reserved just for pets. More space was filled with treats and toys, and brands of food for furry friends than his local market had available for his community. Period.
Shopping on a Sunday is a first-world problem. If you still aren't sold, consider the inhabitants of villages located in the dense mangrove forests straddling the India-Bangladesh border. In this region, residents survive by fishing in murky channels or gathering honey and wood found deep in the forest. This is an endeavor filled with life-threatening obstacles such as deadly encounters with crocodiles, snakes, and the Bengal tiger. In regions like this, many women have lost husbands and sons in tiger attacks. And it is in a region like this that Tiger Boy is set.
When a tiger cub escapes from the reserve, some in the village would like to sell the cub's body parts to the black market. In an area where prospects are sparse, this is a chance to pay for schooling opportunities that will allow children to help raise the standard of living for their entire impoverished family. So, when Neel's father joins the hunting of the cub, Neel must decide whether to let it go or work against this man he loves and admires. Readers will be immersed in a situation that will cause them to make their own decisions as they follow the journey. At what point should a person sacrifice the present for a chance to make the future better?
At a guided reading level of V, Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins was a 2018-2019 Iowa Children's Choice nominee and is perfect for readers who love animals and want to protect them.
Tiger Boy
January 3, 2017
This was fairly suspenseful plot-wise, but very interesting re: setting and "lifestyle". Neel is a student on the Sunderban islands, and he has a chance to win a scholarship to a top school in Kolcatta, but he doesn't really want to go away from home. His anxiety about prepping for the test, especially in math, is weighing on him; everyone thinks he's got to take advantage of this great opportunity. Meanwhile, a tiger cub has escaped from the local tiger refuge; Neel and his sister want to find the cub and return her to the rangers before the local, recently-arrived bigwig can catch it and sell it for medicinal parts (or before the cub's desperate mother escapes the preserve to find her.) When their ecologically responsible dad (protects trees, etc) signs onto the the rich man's hunt (to earn money for a tutor for Neel) the kids are in a real quandary.
There are lots of conflicting issues here--people need to live, need wood, fish and honey from the preserve, but tigers make such usage dangerous, and the Sundari trees stabilize the soil--so preserving vs. exploiting a resource. Neel's sister is smart but quit school to help their mother -- she WANTS to learn; Neel wants to stay home, but can he protect the islands better by going away and studying? The value of education vs a skilled craftsman--over the course of the story, the kids' respect for their father, a talented carpenter, wood carver and steward of the environment, has to balance the value that everyone puts on education. I think the contrast of Neel's love of his homeland, and their obvious desire for the best for their family, with the family's relatively simple circumstances, will be eyeopening for many kids in our area.
In addition, the hunt for the tiger cub, while grown men are also searching to kill her, is very suspenseful, and this short book (132 pp), occasional, clear B&W illustrations adding detail, should hold readers' attention easily.
A list of environmental organizations and Bengali glossary are included.
There are lots of conflicting issues here--people need to live, need wood, fish and honey from the preserve, but tigers make such usage dangerous, and the Sundari trees stabilize the soil--so preserving vs. exploiting a resource. Neel's sister is smart but quit school to help their mother -- she WANTS to learn; Neel wants to stay home, but can he protect the islands better by going away and studying? The value of education vs a skilled craftsman--over the course of the story, the kids' respect for their father, a talented carpenter, wood carver and steward of the environment, has to balance the value that everyone puts on education. I think the contrast of Neel's love of his homeland, and their obvious desire for the best for their family, with the family's relatively simple circumstances, will be eyeopening for many kids in our area.
In addition, the hunt for the tiger cub, while grown men are also searching to kill her, is very suspenseful, and this short book (132 pp), occasional, clear B&W illustrations adding detail, should hold readers' attention easily.
A list of environmental organizations and Bengali glossary are included.
September 20, 2017
Neel is nominated for a scholarship that will take him away from his small island in West Bengal to study in the city. His headmaster believes he has promise and can go on to do great things. But Neel doesn’t want to leave his family, his friends and his village. He wants life to go on there as it always has.
Yet he sees how much is changing when a tiger cub escapes from a nature reserve and swims to Neel’s island. Everyone is out searching for her. Some want to rescue her while others want to poach her for money. Can Neel and his sister save her?
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins offers a glimpse into village life in the Sunderbans, an area in the delta of the Bay of Bengal that borders India and Bangladesh. Life may be simple there compared to more developed areas, but people sometimes struggle to provide for their families. Neel’s desire to save a tiger cub comes from his father teaching him to do what is right in life. But he is in conflict because his father helps the poachers, who give him money that can be used for Neel’s education. How can he both follow his conscience and honor his father?
Perkins brings attention to this little known part of the world with a story that resonates for families in many circumstances. In an author’s note at the end she talks about the particular problems in the Sunderbans, where people, animals and nature are all trying hard to survive.
She says, “People. Animals. Land. Trees. Climate. Greed. Hunger. Need. All these elements converge to create a cyclone of struggle in the Sunderbans. The survival of the village communities, the majestic Bengal tiger, and other endangered species depend on a concerted global effort. This book is my way of inviting us to become part of the solution.”
Perkins also provides a list of organization working with Bengal tigers and others working to improve life in the Sunderbans. A glossary at the back helps readers learn more about unfamiliar terms. I recommend Tiger Boy for readers aged 7 to 10.
The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Yet he sees how much is changing when a tiger cub escapes from a nature reserve and swims to Neel’s island. Everyone is out searching for her. Some want to rescue her while others want to poach her for money. Can Neel and his sister save her?
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins offers a glimpse into village life in the Sunderbans, an area in the delta of the Bay of Bengal that borders India and Bangladesh. Life may be simple there compared to more developed areas, but people sometimes struggle to provide for their families. Neel’s desire to save a tiger cub comes from his father teaching him to do what is right in life. But he is in conflict because his father helps the poachers, who give him money that can be used for Neel’s education. How can he both follow his conscience and honor his father?
Perkins brings attention to this little known part of the world with a story that resonates for families in many circumstances. In an author’s note at the end she talks about the particular problems in the Sunderbans, where people, animals and nature are all trying hard to survive.
She says, “People. Animals. Land. Trees. Climate. Greed. Hunger. Need. All these elements converge to create a cyclone of struggle in the Sunderbans. The survival of the village communities, the majestic Bengal tiger, and other endangered species depend on a concerted global effort. This book is my way of inviting us to become part of the solution.”
Perkins also provides a list of organization working with Bengal tigers and others working to improve life in the Sunderbans. A glossary at the back helps readers learn more about unfamiliar terms. I recommend Tiger Boy for readers aged 7 to 10.
The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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