The Tiger Who Sleeps Under My Chair – Hannah Foley

Description

Steeped in the natural history of Mary Anning’s Jurassic coast, a powerful dual timeline story about fossils, friendship and a family secret finally come to light.

London, 1880s: High up under the eaves of her father’s townhouse, twelve-year-old Emma Linden lives and never goes out. Her dream is to follow in the footsteps of Mary Anning, the famous fossil hunter. But Emma is kept hidden away from all the world, science and study, the tools that keep her mind well. When Emma’s brother, James, begins to speak obsessively of a tiger gifted to the Natural History Museum, everything she holds certain begins to crumble. Their only refuge is Kersbrook, the magical family home on the Devon coast.

Devon, 2023: After Rosie Linden has been found, missing for four days and four nights, no one believes her when she says she has turned into a tiger. A surprise inheritance and an unlikely friendship guide Rosie as she begins her journey to recovery. But as the mysteries around her family history threaten to unravel, past and present blur and a shadow looms. Tigers are prowling once more…

A beautifully told story full of hope and healing, empathy and acceptance, which challenges our perceptions of, and how we value, those who see things differently. For 9+