American Tiger follows nine-year-old Bell Tern, a sharp and wildly imaginative kid who becomes the first person in quiet Alisaw Valley to spot a tiger wandering near a Target loading dock. No one believes her, not even her father Jay, a game warden who knows there should be no tigers in Ventura County. As more strange sightings ripple across the valley, the story blends tension, family struggle, and ecological wonder. The tiger becomes a spark that exposes fear, disbelief, and a father and daughter’s effort to bridge the widening gap between their inner worlds. The opening chapters paint Bell’s devotion to drawing and documenting wildlife, her loneliness at school, and Jay’s steady but fraying attempts to raise her while holding the wild at bay.

This book pulled me in fast. I felt a kind of fond ache watching Bell try to prove what she saw. Her imagination is so alive that you can’t help rooting for her, even when it gets her labeled as a liar. The writing hits a sweet spot. It’s warm, direct, and paced in a way that made me forget I was reading. I liked how the author paints the valley around them. The details are simple but vivid. The land feels baked into the bones of the characters. I also noticed how naturally humor and sadness sit together in the scenes. One minute I was smiling at Bell’s oddball survival kit in her backpack. The next I felt a sharp little twist in my chest as the bus full of kids turns on her when she reports the tiger.

I also found myself moved by the relationship between Bell and Jay. Their dynamic is messy in a relatable way that I appreciated. Jay tries so hard to be steady and rational, but he’s worn down. The moment he gets a report of “a striped tail” under a pepper tree, something shifts in him, and I felt it. The writing lets him be flawed without judgment, and that made me care even more. The stakes get bigger as the search spreads. Experts arrive, each with their own trauma or agenda, and everything grows more tangled. I liked that the book never leans into cheap danger. Instead, it digs into fear, memory, loss, and what wildness means in a world that keeps shrinking.

The story touched that soft place where wonder and grief live side by side. I kept thinking about how a giant animal roaming the suburbs could expose so much about the humans who live there. The book surprised me. The writing has heart. It’s clear and calm on the surface, but there’s a current running underneath it that pulled me along.

I’d recommend American Tiger to readers who enjoy character-driven stories with a strong sense of place. It’s great for people who love literary fiction that carries a hint of adventure and for anyone drawn to stories about family, nature, and the things we try to believe in. It would also hit home for readers who like books told through the eyes of kids who see the world in ways adults forget.

Pages: 326 | ASIN : B0FTGLN6X2