Tiger in Trouble

Mary St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

In this sequel to Walters’s popular Tiger by the Tail, Nicholas and
Sarah spend a week at their neighbor’s farm, assisting Mr. McCurdy
with his exotic animals, which include a chimpanzee, a python, a
cheetah, and a tiger. They soon learn about how endangered species are
being killed or sold off to research labs.

Walters is a nationally acclaimed author of 15 award-winning
young-adult novels, including Trapped in Ice, Diamonds in the Rough, War
of the Eagles, and The Hydrofoil Mystery. This sequel is not one of his
finer works. The book is filled with an endless and seemingly useless
flow of dialogue.

It is interesting to note that while the brief acknowledgment at the
beginning of the book mentions a wildlife park in Orono, Ontario, the
author neglects to mention the word “Canada” or “Canadian”
anywhere in the text; indeed, the story seems to have no geographical
location. Ron Lightburn’s uninspiring cover art is a clear indication
of what to expect inside. The book’s only saving grace is the
inclusion of some rather interesting information about work in a
wildlife park and additional facts about zoo animals. Not

recommended.