August 1, 2024
A once-neglected child forges connections. Eleven-year-old narrator Tig (short for Tigger, a nickname her mother bestowed on the bouncy child) finds it difficult to trust the comfort and safety of her new home. Her mother abandoned the family several harrowing months before, running off with the boyfriend who physically and emotionally bullied Tig for years. Tig relied on big brother Peter, named for her late father, to figure out how to keep warm and fed in the cold, empty house. Now Peter helps her adapt to an unfamiliar situation. She's wary, defensive, and angry as she navigates the first weeks with Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny. The couple adopt a bull terrier for Tig and are steadfast in the face of Tig's rage and hurt. Tig's voice is convincing and intelligent, with notes of longing, sadness, and hope. The narrative doesn't address whether Tig's mother will face legal consequences and only fleetingly mentions contact with a social worker, but it's clear that her new home with Uncle Scott and Manny is a permanent one. New friends Jacob and Jonah, Guten Morgen the dog, and Tig's ambition to become the cheese-rolling champion of Wensleydale all help develop a sense of belonging. Jacob and Jonah are Filipino; Tig and her family are implied white. A moving, accessible tale of trauma, laced with a compelling sense of optimism.(Fiction. 9-13)
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Starred review from September 1, 2024
Gr 4-7-A devastatingly honest novel about foster care, neurodivergence, family, and resilience. Tig, 11, and Peter, 12, have been living alone after being abandoned by their mother, but when Uncle Scott picks them up at the police station, everything changes. Being from "the wrong part of town" is bad enough, but moving to upscale Wensleydale is a slap in the face for the siblings who have had a life with so little. Tig is the chatty, energetic, spunky one, nicknamed after Winnie the Pooh's friend Tigger. Peter is the quiet and pensive one. Uncle Scott and his partner Manny try their best with the kids, sometimes saying the wrong thing, but hoping to do well and offer them a home. As the summer goes on, it'll be up to Tig and Peter to decide whether they are ready to open their hearts again, knowing that grown-ups are volatile and often hurtful. Can the children form a new family and start fresh? This novel is told through the eyes of a child whose life has been nothing but rough, and readers get a glimpse into foster family experience. Raw and honest in the portrayal of pain, the narrative offers solace in the knowledge that Tig and Peter aren't' alone anymore. Tig's dyslexia and neurodivergence are well portrayed, making her an often-misunderstood main character, but also one worth loving. VERDICT A first purchase for upper elementary and middle school library collections.-Carol Youssif
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2024
Grades 5-8 Tig and her older brother, Peter, find themselves thrust into a new situation when the police discover them living alone in an otherwise abandoned apartment. Retrieved from the police by their uncle and his partner, Manny, the siblings are forced to move to the "terrible" (read: picturesque) town of Wensleydale. Tig, especially, is keen to hate everything about this new arrangement and will do whatever it takes to get back to living with her mother, who grapples with alcoholism and has an abusive boyfriend. Meanwhile, Uncle Scott and Manny do whatever they can to make Tig and Peter feel more comfortable, including buying a television, which Tig immediately smashes, and giving her a long-desired bull terrier. Following a revelation that should be shocking even for the most observant of young readers, Tig comes to find hope and real happiness in her new living situation. Smith's short, beautifully written, chapterless work contains many section breaks and should appeal to reluctant readers. For middle-grade readers, especially fans of melancholy yet hopeful family tales of overcoming adversity.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
November 1, 2024
Eleven-year-old Tig has been abandoned by her mother and has lived for four months on her own, with no money, no food, and no electricity. Now Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny, are at the police station to take her home. Tig has been traumatized by the circumstances of her life: her father died when she was four, her mother used to disappear for days at a time before leaving for good, and her mother's boyfriend Eddy was abusive. Reflecting on ending up with Uncle Scott and Manny, Tig says, "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." Smith sensitively delineates Tig's gradual road to recovery and love, and an uneasy one it is: Tig smashes the new television, purposely drops a hammer on Manny's foot, and tells Uncle Scott his house is a dump and he's garbage. A major plot twist adds poignancy and drama. Tig does come to love Uncle Scott and Manny, who are steadfast in their love for each other and for her. A good match with other recent stories of abandoned children, such as Rudd's How to Stay Invisible (rev. 7/23) and Fipps's And Then, Boom! (rev. 5/24). Dean Schneider
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2024
Eleven-year-old Tig has been abandoned by her mother and has lived for four months on her own, with no money, no food, and no electricity. Now Uncle Scott and his partner, Manny, are at the police station to take her home. Tig has been traumatized by the circumstances of her life: her father died when she was four, her mother used to disappear for days at a time before leaving for good, and her mother's boyfriend Eddy was abusive. Reflecting on ending up with Uncle Scott and Manny, Tig says, "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." Smith sensitively delineates Tig's gradual road to recovery and love, and an uneasy one it is: Tig smashes the new television, purposely drops a hammer on Manny's foot, and tells Uncle Scott his house is a dump and he's garbage. A major plot twist adds poignancy and drama. Tig does come to love Uncle Scott and Manny, who are steadfast in their love for each other and for her. A good match with other recent stories of abandoned children, such as Rudd's How to Stay Invisible (rev. 7/23) and Fipps's And Then, Boom! (rev. 5/24).
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)