Tiger by the Tail

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

When Sarah Fraser, 13, and her brother, Nicholas, 10, are caught in a
thunderstorm, they seek refuge in an old barn where they discover a
large snake and a caged tiger. New to the area, the siblings come to
learn that the animals are part of a menagerie owned by 74-year-old Mr.
McCurdy who left home at 14 to join a circus. Now retired to the family
farm, Mr. McCurdy has brought with him other circus retirees, all
animals. Old Buddha, the tiger, and Brent, a nine-foot Burmese Python,
live in the barn while Mr. McCurdy shares his house with Laura, a
cheetah; Calvin, a chimp; and Polly, a rude-mouthed Military Maquaw.

Local teens, bent on tormenting “crazy old McCurdy,” release
Buddha. While Mr. McCurdy, with the children’s assistance, retrieves
the tiger, the event receives national media coverage, thereby bringing
the exotic animals’ presence to the attention of the local town’s
mayor and the children’s recently separated lawyer mother. The mayor,
who is seeking re-election attempts to have the animals seized, an
action initially supported by Mrs. Fraser, much to her children’s
consternation. However, all ends well for Mr. McCurdy and his animals
plus Sarah, Nicholas, and their mother.

Walters has created very likable characters in Mr. McCurdy and his
animals, and the sibling banter between Sarah and Nicholas is most
believable. Although the family-problems storyline is secondary, it is
well integrated with the major story involving the animals’ future.
The swiftly moving plot is further enlivened by touches of humor. Highly
recommended.