Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Book Review: Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily is a retelling of Peter Pan from the  perspective of Tinkerbell. But, it's really the story of Tiger Lily, since Tinkerbell follows her around and tells the story of Tiger Lily as she perceives it.

I don't think I've ever read the "real" Peter Pan. I've only been exposed to the Walt Disney version, so I can't speak to that aspect of Tiger Lily. But I found Tiger Lily to be a touching story and it really broke my heart.

In this version of Neverland, Tiger Lily is a member of the Sky Eater tribe, although she isn't really accepted because she is different.. They are very afraid of the Lost Boys, but they have a truce with the pirates. Well, Tiger Lily ends up meeting Peter Pan and all the Lost Boys in her wanderings. She keeps her relationship with them a secret, because she is betrothed to the dreaded Giant. She ends up in a relationship with Peter Pan, but things cannot turn out well.

And they don't. I really liked how Anderson developed the relationship between Tiger Lily and Peter. It is very slow and awkward, as you would expect. The secondary characters were also well developed and added richness to the setting and plot.

I think making Tink the narrator was an interesting choice, and I liked it. But I also got confused sometimes forgetting that "I" is Tink, not Tiger Lily -- since that's whose story we are hearing.

The ending, as I said, is heartbreaking, but also happy. Some unexpected things happened -- but maybe they were only unexpected because I've never read the original.

Tiger Lily easily kept my interest and I would recommend it to Pan fans, or those who enjoy fairy tale retellings. I don't think it's a story that had a huge impact on me or one that I will always remember, but I enjoyed the reading experience and will not hesitate to recommend it to the appropriate teen readers.

Published by HarperTeen, 2012
eBook, purchased
304 pages

Rating: 3.5/5





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1 comment:

  1. Great review, Annette! I've wanted to read this myself since I first saw it - and I also want my oldest daughter to read it. (she loves Anderson's May Bird series) Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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