“It was like having his own personal shooting star, but he didn’t ever make a wish on it. He was afraid that if he started wishing, he might not be able to stop. In his suitcase of not-thoughts, there were also not-wishes. He kept the lid closed on them, too.”
Rob is living at a motel with his father. They are both in the process of grieving after Rob’s mother died. Rob’s father is working at the motel, too, and wants Rob to help him. Then, Rob finds a cage containing an animal and it hardly seems real. There’s a tiger caged up in the woods behind the motel. Could Rob be imagining it?
This is my last Kate DiCamillo book review for now. My daughters fell in love with her book, Because of Winn Dixie, so I started to read her books and fell in love with them, too. There is only one that I didn’t think was really great (Raymie Nightingale), but that’s not a bad thing since I think the other ones are really wonderful books.
Shortly after finding the tiger, a new girl starts riding the bus in frilly dresses. Sistine and Rob start talking and Rob decides to show her the tiger. If she sees it, it must be real, right? They want to set it free, but are fearful of the consequences. Will the tiger attack or does it even know what to do in the wild?
This tale is slightly heart-breaking and is probably for older elementary aged kids and older. The book deals with bullies, death and father/son relationships. I would recommend that parents read this along with their children so they can discuss it together.