The Tiger Rising

The National Book Award finalist from the best-selling author of BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE - now in paperback 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.

from The Best-selling Author Of Because Of Winn-dixie Comes The Moving Story Of An Eleven-year-old-boy, Rob Horton, Who Finds A Caged Tiger In The Woods Behind The Hotel Where He Lives With His Father. With The Help Of His New Friend, Sistine Bailey, Rob Must Decide What To Do With His Discovery And At The Same Time Come To Terms With His Past.

publishers Weekly

dicamillo's Second Novel May Not Be As Humorous As Her Debut, Because Of Winn-dixie, But It Is Just As Carefully Structured, And Her Ear Is Just As Finely Tuned To Her Characters. In The First Chapter, Readers Learn That Rob Lost His Mother Six Months Ago; His Father Has Uprooted Their Lives From Jacksonville To Lister, Fla.; The Boy Hates School; And His Father's Boss, Beauchamp, Is Keeping A Caged Wild Tiger At Beauchamp's Abandoned Gas Station. The Author Characterizes Rob By What He Does Not Do (rob Had A Way Of Not-thinking About Things; He Was A Pro At Not-crying), And The Imprisoned Tiger Becomes A Metaphor For The Thoughts And Feelings He Keeps Trapped Inside. Two Other Characters, Together With The Tiger, Act As Catalyst For Rob's Change: A New Classmate, Sistine (like The Chapel), Who Believes That Her Father Will Rescue Her Someday And Take Her Back To Pennsylvania, And Willie May, A Wise And Compassionate Woman Who Works As A Chambermaid At Beauchamp's Hotel. The Author Delves Deeply Into The Psyches Of Her Cast With Carefully Choreographed Scenes, Opting For The Economy Of Poetry Over Elaborate Prose. The Climax Is Sudden And Brief, Mimicking The Surge Of Emotion That Overtakes Rob, Who Can Finally Embrace Life Rather Than Negate It. Dicamillo Demonstrates Her Versatility By Treating Themes Similar To Those Of Her First Novel With A Completely Different Approach. Readers Will Eagerly Anticipate Her Next Work. Ages 10-up. (mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

A National Book Award Finalist By Newbery Medalist Kate Dicamillo. 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 Heartache, And Tigers—can’t Be Locked Up Forever. Featuring A New Cover Illustration By Stephen Walton And An Excerpt Of Kate Dicamillo's Newest Novel, Raymie Nightingale. Rob, Who Passes The Time In His Rural Florida Community By Wood Carving, Is Drawn By His Spunky But Angry Friend Sistine Into A Plan To Free A Caged Tiger.