When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

My name is Lily, and my halmoni says tigers are evil creatures and can't be trusted. She stole stories from them when she was little, and the tigers now want the stories back. I don't fully understand how this is possible, but a giant, female tiger has been visiting me in the middle of the night. Halmoni has been getting sicker, and the tiger says it can help make her feel better. All I have to do is return the dangerous stories Halmoni stole. If tigers can't be trusted, should I do what it asks? But I don't want my halmoni to die. Time is running out, and I don't know what to do.

This book was nominated by a reader for a 2020 Cybils Award. It was based on Korean folklore and described a situation where fiction became reality for Lily. Or did it? The author did a great job of keeping the book mystical, as it was never clear if the tiger or Halmoni's stories were real. Halmoni was supposedly experiencing hallucinations, and her memories were inconsistent. Lily was sure of her own experiences, but then she had doubts. Were the tiger stories from Halmoni's past, or were they a metaphor for her life? The Korean culture was at the center of the plot, and the family members displayed conflicting attitudes toward it. Halmoni's behaviors were often traditional, but they were also seen as eccentric. The stolen stories described how decisions could lead to unexpected consequences, and there were different ways for things to be dangerous. Overall, the book was pretty cerebral and made me think about relationships and life. Give it a shot if folklore and Asian culture interest you.