Music For Tigers- A Captivating Middle-Grade Read

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There is nothing better than getting so entranced by a book that you are able to finish it in one day. Music For Tigers completely captivated me from the very first pages. It was full of lovely and diverse characters, adventure, mystery, messages of conservation, and so much heart! A truly beautiful combination!

Music For Tigers

Music For Tigers is the beautiful story of a young girl named Louisa. Louisa is from Canada, but finds herself having to spend the summer in Tasmania with her uncle…who has been described to her as “a little odd”. Louisa is less than thrilled to be in the wilds of Tasmania…first off, her uncle is definitely a little strange, and second…there are way too many creepy crawlies for Louisa’s taste. She is a violinist who would much rather be playing music than trudging through the bush.

It isn’t long before Louisa realizes that there is much more to her uncle and his camp than meets the eye. He has some very interesting pets, there are strange odors in the night, and she hears tales of a place called Convict Rock. Louisa finally begins to learn more of the story through a series of journal entries made by her great-grandmother Eleanor. It would seem that Convict Rock was established as an animal sanctuary by Eleanor to protect the Tasmanian Tiger. It has long been believed that the Tasmanian Tiger was hunted to extinction…but…could it be possible…that after all this time, there is still one out there?

My Thoughts

I absolutely adored this book. Author Michelle Kadarusman is a beautiful storyteller. This was the first book I have read of hers and I am eager to read more. She transported me to the wilds of Tasmania…I could almost see the ginormous spiders!! I love that she tackled so many important topics in the pages of this book. Topics like species extinction, environmentalism, neurodiversity, and anxiety are woven beautifully throughout the pages.

The relationships in the story were so beautiful. Being able to watch the bond grown between Louisa and Uncle Ruff was so heartwarming. I also loved seeing such a special friendship build between Louisa and Colin. It is such a breath of fresh air to read a book with characters that are so relatable and so real. I also absolutely loved the strong message of conservationism!

I was completely captivated by Music For Tigers and I think you will be as well. This would make a wonderful book to read aloud with your kids. I would also highly recommend this book as an addition to any unit on the environment or species extinction!

For More Info

Music For Tigers was released on April 28th, 2020 and is available for purchase! Sending a huge thank you to my friends at Publisher Spotlight for sending me an ARC of this beautiful book for review.

Music for Tigers is published by Pajama Press.