A beautiful tale of a young girl living in Louisiana with her beloved grandmother, father and mother. While Tiger Parker deeply loves her parents, she is supremely embarrassed because her parents are retarded (the term used in this book published in 1998,)

Watching school mates laugh at her parents, and make fun of them is very difficult. And, while Tiger wants more for herself and her parents, she is also torn between her love of them, and her wish that they were "normal," creating a dilelma that has no easy answer.

Her grandmother does a wonderful job of reminding Tiger of the specialness of her parents, and the love they share for each other and for others, still Tiger couldn't help but even hate the name given to her by her parents.

When her aunt came to visit, she wished her parents could have been born as savvy and beautiful. Tiger appreciates the small things that her parents do, but when a TV becomes obsessive for her mother who loves to watch the Howdy Dowdy show and can repeat every line of the show, it only heightens the realization that her parents are very uniquely unlike the parents of her classmates.

Sadly, Tiger's grandmother died, leaving the issue of who would be able to watch after Tiger, and her parents. Tiger's aunt believes that her parents would be fine alone, and that Tiger deserves to have a life of nice clothes, a good education, and a lifestyle so very different then what she currently experiences.

Tiger went with her aunt for a short trip, and returned believing she would like to move away to a way out of the snickers and put downs. Tiger is faced with a major life-changing decision.

This is all that a YA book should portray. A story line with strong characters, a young person in conflict, and the need to make a major decision.

Three and 1/2 stars! ( )

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Tiger Ann lives with her father, Lonnie, who is mentally handicapped, her mother, Corrine, who is even more mentally handicapped, and her Granny, who is sharp as a tack. When her Granny suddenly dies, Tiger has a tough decision to make. Should she go to the city to live with her urbane aunt, or should she stay in the tiny town she's always lived in, knowing that she will often have to take care of her own parents now that her Granny is gone? One of those rare, lovely tales, in which there is no real "bad guy."
A beautiful coming of age story, set in the Louisiana of the late 1950s. You will fall in love not only with Tiger Ann, but with her parents, Magnolia (her aunt's maid, who comes to town for a spell to help the household get straight again) and even Jesse Ray, the boy who has a crush on Tiger.
A heartwarming story that is never sappy, and rings true. ( )

This book is a great book to show readers that is ok to be different. This boon is based during a time where being different or having disabilities was looked at as strange. ( )