The Tiger Rising, a National Book Award finalist, has a darker tone than Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie, a 2001 Newbery Honor Book. The characters are dealing with some weighty issues: grief, anger, and isolation. Twelve-year-old Rob Horton and his father moved to Lister, Florida six months ago after the death of Rob's mother from cancer. They are barely eking out a living at the Kentucky Star Motel where Rob's dad works and they both live.
Since the day of his mother's funeral when his father slapped him for crying, Rob has tried to suppress all his feelings.
"He imagined himself as a suitcase that was too full, like the one he had packed when they left Jacksonville after the funeral. He made all his feelings go inside the suitcase; he stuffed them in tight and then sat on the suitcase and locked it shut."
Rob's life consists of running from bullies at school, scratching the rash that has developed on his lower legs, and keeping a lid on his emotions. Willie May, the motel's housekeeper warns Rob, "You keeping all that sadness down low in your legs. You not letting it get up to your heart, where it belongs." His father is so consumed by grief, he can't even say his wife's name.
Into Rob's life comes something extraordinary that will change everything. Out in the woods, he discovers a caged tiger. Shortly thereafter, he meets Sistine, a girl whose parents' recent divorce has led her mother to return to Lister with Sistine. Sistine is consumed with anger, which she freely expresses. Where Rob runs from bullies, Sistine fights back. She is overflowing with emotions, in sharp contrast to Rob.
The caged tiger becomes a metaphor for Rob's suppressed emotions. The story of how the two children free the tiger, with shocking results, and free Rob to grieve, is bittersweet. This is a book that, once started, is hard to put down. Once again, Kate DiCamillo has done an excellent job in creating realistic and engaging characters. I would recommend it for ten to thirteen year olds. (Candlewick Press, paperback edition, 2002. ISBN:9780763618988)
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