ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Smith, Heather

Tig

160 pp. | Tundra | September, 2024 | Trade ISBN 9780735267497 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780735267503 $10.99
(2) 4-6 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).
Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?