Although this book is written for young readers, I must say that as an Adult Reader I thoroughly enjoyed, A Tiger Too Many, and was emotionally moved by the entire story of young Jill and her tiger, Ronny. Jill is an endearing character, strong and independent with a caring and empathetic nature, who develops a bond to a Tiger in the Zoo where her brother works. She is determined to save him from death no matter what the justification is. But this proves further challenging when her brother is forced to enlist in the war and goes missing in action, and her mother sends her away, out of fear of losing another child. Poor Jill ends up living with a horrific family who abuse her and treat her abominably. When Ronny’s situation becomes most dire, Jill risks all to save her beloved Tiger.
Antony’s story telling is truly wonderful as he weaves historical fact with fiction. His characters are so well developed, the dialogue believable and relevant, that readers cannot help but form an emotional connection with them. The plot is very engaging and moves forward at a good pace. There is nothing that would distract the reader or pull them out the story, which I was completely captivated by and read the entire book in one sitting.
I also very much enjoyed reading the Author’s notes at the end of the book. Antony shares his own thoughts about his book and characters which I resonated with and thought was a great touch in connecting reader to Author.
I recommend to all readers and I award 5 stars.
