…learning who you are, even in not-you situations. The story ends with Lily’s realization that identity is an evolving process of… And when she finishes, she steps back, smacking her lips. As the tiger drinks, the glass in my hand gets lighter and lighter until it feels like air. … I can almost hear the roar of an ocean. She closes her eyes, presses her whiskers against the rim-and drinks the stars. The starlight in the jar seems to spill out, a whole Milky Way tipping over the edge, and the tiger moves closer. Lily realizes her Halmoni’s most painful, most secret story has been hidden away in a glass jar: One of Keller’s most beautiful bits of invention is star jars. They will”-her teeth flash-“eat her up.” (98) If they stay locked away, they will make her sick. “Lily Bean, if you return those stories to me, your halmoni will feel better. Shattering against the wall, the blue jar becomes a supernova. On the other side, a frog guards a photo of Sam and me, protecting our happiness. On the mantel, two stone lions hug a photograph of Mom, welcoming wealth into her life. An old grandfather clock tuts in the far corner of the living room. The living room and kitchen cuddle together around a purple dining table and a fireplace that doesn’t work. Language arts teachers will adore using WHEN YOU TRAP A TIGER to teach anthropomorphism, simile, metaphor, foreshadowing, onomatopoeia, and invention. Perhaps the best qualities of the book are Keller’s magical command of literary devices, voice, and revisionist Korean folktales. Strangely, readers do not learn how to pronounce that Korean word until Chapter 34: Still, Lily’s family members, antagonists, and new friends are sharply drawn, particularly her grandmother, Halmoni. Sensation might alienate some readers whose bars for fictional realism are set a bit low. At times, she doesn’t feel real for example, Lily analyzes her older sister’s coping technique with the skill of a therapist: While Lily ultimately does not resolve all the problems in her personal life or her community-a strong note of healthy realism for young readers-she does kick a lot of butt by using her highly developed cognitive, emotional, and supernatural skills.
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