The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

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Title: The Tiger Rising

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Genre: Children's Fantasy

Length: 116 pages

Published: 2002

Publisher: Scholastic

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger - a real-life, very large tiger - pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things - like memories, and heartaches, and tigers - can’t be locked up forever.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This was an amazing story about friendship, grief, love, and regaining happiness. Rob has buried the sadness of his mother's death deep inside, and his father refuses to speak about his mother. Sistine is the new girl, who is adamant her cheating father (that her mother left) is coming to get her. She spends her days fighting because she's so incredibly angry.

The two become friends because of a secret they share: there is a tiger in a cage in the woods. Sistine wants to free the tiger, and Rob is worried that by doing so something horrible will happen. The story ends in a way that you may or may not expect. Yet, good comes of it. I'll let you find that out for yourself. 

You can purchase The Tiger Rising through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Tiger Rising? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.