Pleasant novel that sometimes struggles with pacing, particularly at the overly neat conclusion. Sahira is an excellent MC and one of the few biracial characters to appear in works set during this time period. Most of the supporting characters were interesting as well, although I found the immense cruelty of some of her fellow orphans and the cowardice and lack of care of many of the adults to be extreme and unlikely. I don't necessarily cosign the comparisons to "A Little Princess," but I can see how the two books might be read together in a comparative exercise.

The premise of the book is a young girl, named Sahira, came over to Victorian London, with her parents and 2 tigers that they were selling, having caught them in India. Tragically, Sahira's parents die during the voyage over and the tigers go off to their new home and Sahira, forced to become more 'English' is sent to a rather detestable and cruel orphanage. At this orphanage, Sahira, renamed Eleanor, is subjected to horrendous abuse and bullying, mainly due to the fact that she is foreign. Eventually, she finds her way to the tigers she befriended and spends as much time with them as she can as they are the only real link to her old life that she has left.

This book perplexed me in many different ways. I loved the premise of the story but don't feel that it was executed as well as it could have been. I did, unfortunately, feel a bit uncomfortable reading a story about an Indian girl written by a white writer. It didn't feel right and, as such, I don't think the character of Sahira was as rich as she could have been. My favourite character was the loveable Ned. He was wonderfully written and I adored his escapades with Nebby.

I did enjoy the story and the development of it and felt the ending was just perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free copy of this in return for an honest review.

This story begins with Sahira losing both her parents whilst travelling from India to London and her luck doesn't get any better throughout the story. She is faced with many prejudices with a father who was English and an Indian mother. She constantly feels like she belongs to nowhere, her fathers family doesn't acknowledge her as family so she ends up in an awful orphanage.

This was a gut-wrenching story that I couldn't not feel helpless whilst reading. It really shows you how hopeless it would have been for an orphan in 1820.

On a brighter note, the historical accuracy of animal keeping in London in the 19th century was amazing. The animal element of the story was captivating and fascinating.

On the whole, it was a very enjoyable read!

I am a great fan of Julia Golding and she has really surpassed herself with this book. It is absolutely brilliant with its evocation of early 19th century England and the tribulations of being a mixed race child, alone in a strange country. The sense of time and place is very strong and will make many people want to explore further.

Here is my review of The Tigers in the Tower ahead of the blog tour in September. I will post it to my blog then.

Lose yourself in the rich symbolism and powerful messages of The Tigers in the Tower by Julia Golding. Sahira faces the jungle of Georgian London with no one but two majestic Indian tigers. Having lost her parents to fever on the treacherous sea voyage from Calcutta to London, Sahira must fend for herself and fight to protect these beautiful big cats. A ghost of former self, she must face loss, grief, loneliness and rejection as those around her try to whitewash her appearance and force her to deny her treasured mixed heritage.

Sahira’s father was transporting the tigers to the King’s Royal Menagerie in the Tower of London – a wondrous collection of creatures never before seen in England. When she is separated from her feline friends, Sahira does all she can to be with them and protect them from the dangers that lie ahead. These tigers are her family, her home and everything that is important to her. With an unlikely collection of new friends, Sahira defies everyone who stands in her way to fight for what she believes is right.

The language of this story is truly magical. With subtle references to the great poem The Tyger by William Blake, readers are immersed in the value of literature and poetry. Words memorised can never taken away and Sahira clings to the strength of language and story her parents instilled in her when she was young. The imagery of animals, and tigers specifically, is absolutely beautiful and speaks deeply to those who commune with cats.

The Tigers in the Tower is a wonderful story about fitting in and finding your place in the world while staying true to yourself. It teaches readers to be confident and strong even in the most difficult situations and to trust their instincts about what is right and who they are. Everyone is important and everyone’s story is valuable. Sahira shows us that strength comes from within and our past pushes us forwards into a positive future. Like a tiger, her quiet strength, determination and focus lead her to the place where she belongs.

This was a fantastic updating of classic Victorian/ Dickensian child hood fiction, like A Little Princess or The Secret Garden. The protagonist is accompanying a pair of tigers from her home of India to the tower of London, but her parents die on the way. Of course, she ends up in an orphanage with cruel adults and children, friends to make and adventures to have. The cast of characters includes the prime minister and Robert Peel's son and the zookeepers at the tower of London. This would be a great book to go with school topics about Victorian London, animals or India. The heroine is mixed race, with a Muslim mother and aristocratic English father, and she faces racism and sexism, which would lead to some great discussion. I loved this book, and would be happy to read it with year four and up, 8+.

An unique and touching story about a young girl and her tigers finding a home and their place in the world as she Lost her family and home and needs to fight for herself.

While the pacing felt a little off a times, I was very interested in the main character qnd her journey with the tigers which pushed me through some moments in the middle and beginning where it lagged a little.

In the end i found it to be a delightful story with a diverse cast that i wish i had read when i was a child.

Certainly a must for Middle Grade fans

trigger warning
<spoiler> lethal illness, being orphaned, animal cruelty, bullying, grief, domestic abuse, corporeal punishment </spoiler>

As the ship finally reaches London, only Sahira and the two Indian tigers, Rama and Sita, are alive. The people from the East India Trading Company, who not really know what to do with a coloured child, sent a message to her lordly grandfather and put her in an orphanage.

They tell her it would be a very good orphanage, but as it's situated in Whitechapel, it will come to no surprise to you that the children get exploited for cheap labour, are underfed and beaten.
All the while, Sahira misses the tigers, the last link to her past, to her family.

This book made me feel things. Not all of them good.
Let me address the metaphorical element in the room: This included one of my personal trigger topics and I will spend the evening trying to keep myself from doing things because I read this. It's not the first time I've said this, but trigger warnings are important and there is no logic reason why publishers don't give them. You read the books you publish, you edit them, you know what's in them. Of course, it could happen that you overlook a topic, but then at least you would have tried - and if the readers tell you you need to add something, just do it.
It won't cost you anything but would appeal to readers. Not all of them, but the books that <i>do</i> come with warnings can use it to their advantage.

Other things this made me feel were things I was supposed to feel, like anger at the orphanage people, adults who dismiss a child's words because they think they know better, who don't even bother to listen and really have no business being in contact with children.
People who are cruel to animals make me angry. So angry.

I felt with Sahira and her friends and was really hoping we'd get a good solution to all plotpoints. We did.

I like both that we have a character that bothers to analyse an animal's situation to see where the problem might lie, and that, in this case, we have a <i>girl</i> doing that. As much as I like Hagrid, I am sick of only boys in middle grade fiction being well versed in animal knowledge and try to befriend every creature they can.

Further, I liked how the topic of Sahira's cultural heritage was acknowledged. While her late father was a British lord, her mother was a Persian noble woman, and Sahira grew up speaking and reading both English and Farsi, with a sprinkling of Hindustan as she's from India.
The British people she meets usually assume she's a Hindoo princess, which annoys her to no end. She shifts between both worlds and thus has, sadly, problems to find a new home after her parent's death.
Also, this book illustrates how you really need to know people so they can get your chums to work out how it should go.

I have a soft spot for parrots that randomly interrupt conversations to spew rude words.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book is absolutely amazing. I cried, I raged, and above all I absolutely loved Sahira's journey. The story is about a young Indian girl who is sent to live in England after the death of her parents, and the only thing she has is her two beloved tigers. Her journey into a new land and the prejudices and injustices she faced truly had me riled up for her. Her strength of character and will was astounding. It portrayed a realistic portrayal of the prejudices that she faced in the time. Overall this was an amazing story about one girl's venture into finding herself and paving a life for her and her tigers despite all the obstacles and injustices she faced. I would highly recommend this wonderful story to anyone.