Garo folklore speaks of turning into a tiger as a way of explaining mental illness. Mental illness is the theme of this book. A dual narrative from the present day and Victorian times tells the story of two young people from the same family who are struggling with mental health issues. The modern day approach is far more sympathetic than the Victorian approach which was to lock people away in mental asylums.

There are links to fossils and the work of Mary Anning as the family home is located on the Jurassic Coast.

This book was not what I was expecting but I quite enjoyed the story of friendship and support in times of adversity.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This captivating middle-grade novel cleverly explores the issues of teenage mental health delivered through a dual-timeline narrative. In 1884 Emma Linden ,obsessed with fossils and the famous fossil hunter Mary Anning, helps her brother, James ,cope with a series of psychotic episodes. In 2023, football- mad Jude, helps his friend Rosie with her mental health problems as together they research Rosie’s family history. Readers will find plenty to enjoy and relate to in this story. Whether it be not being selected for a sports team, the delight of the freedom of summer holidays or the darker themes of coping with someone who is mentally ill, This is both a sensitive portrayal of the effect mental health has on friendships as well as an intriguing historical mystery.

A thoroughly entertaining, and educational beautiful story of friendship and bravery. I will definitely be reading this again with my 10 year old niece.

Wow, what a beautiful story. It takes place in dual timelines and the tale unfolds perfectly. I read this with my daughter and she loved it. Such an empowering and poignant book.

What a standout of a book!! The story wove and grew in ways I genuinely didn’t expect and I loved every moment. The fossils, the historical aspect that tied in beautifully to modern day, and the spark of magic! The conversation around mental illness was poignant and a great way to broaden the topic with any young reader as well.

I requested this book when I fell in love with the cover, and I wasn’t disappointed by the read!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

Big thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC!

This is one of those books that you walk away from feeling empowered. The resolution was sad but the messages the story contained were so good and hopeful that I couldn't help but leave it feeling optimistic. My favorite thing about this book was the empathy the characters had for one another. Today's world is all about looking out for yourself and doing whatever it takes to protect your image even if it comes at the expense of someone else. But this book was so refreshing because it centered around characters who cared more about each other's well-being than anyone's approval.

I loved Jude's character in particular. He didn't see Rosie as fragile or feel like he needed to treat her any differently because of her mental illness but consistently encouraged and affirmed her all throughout the story. And as I mentioned above, I admired his courage to pursue a friendship with Rosie no matter what anyone at their school might think of him.

This book uses a dual-timeline and I had a little trouble towards the end when the past and present started to overlap keeping the Linden family history straight but, other than that, I think this format really worked for the story and I enjoyed the suspense which came with waiting to return to Emma or Jude's story-line. Finally, I liked how this book feels accessible for all ages. It's not too long and it can be a great mental health conversation starter for families.

Overall, I'm so happy that I read this book and would definitely recommend it! Happy Reading :)

Having just turned the last page in this book, I sit silently, contemplating. My thoughts are struggling to arrange themselves into a cohesive order. Did I like it? Yes. Did it make me think? Yes. Did I understand it? Perhaps not!

The Tiger Who Sleeps Under My Chair is an exceptionally powerful book interweaving dual narratives from across the centuries. Focusing on friendship, compassion and mental illness, it is a story quite unlike anything I’ve read before. I was fascinated to see where the author took the narrative and was impressed by the sensitivity in dealing with some truly challenging topics - including how mental illness was dealt with in the past.

I think it’s an amazing, emotive read but it would be a real challenge for primary school pupils to fully comprehend. It would be more suited to Year 7 and beyond. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A beautifully woven story that is set across dual timelines with a family connection linking the intertwining stories. Shifting between London in the 1880s and Devon in 2023, this is a story that shines a light on perceptions and treatment of mental health. And whilst this is without a doubt key to the story, the thing that kept me turning pages was the friendships between the characters and that ever niggling little mystery of the tiger. It’s a story of hope, of empathy and of those who see the world differently. Magical storytelling with beautiful writing.

The tiger who sleeps under my chair

Earc:NetGalley
Publisher: @Head of Zeus, Zephyr
Publication Date: 2 Feb 2023
Genre: Children's, Teens and Young Adult

Emma
Some of the wording seems synomos and not suitiable for all younger readers. For teens I wouod say 13 + due to the context of this book.

The book was quite different from what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. I thought it was some kind of magic mystery where someone suddenly turns into a tiger, but it ended up being a mental health discussion with family ties and a background interest in fossils ( This is because the story is something else that ties the two stories together, plus I love dinosaurs, so I still enjoyed it.

I liked that mental health was discussed in children's books. I've never come across a book like that. I don't suffer from mental illness myself so I can't say for sure, but I think it's important for children to be informed and know they're not alone.

I also liked the way it was written. I will definitely consider reading other books by this author in the future!

#NetGalley #bookstagram#bookreview #mentalhealth #TheTigerWhoSleepsUnderMyChair

This is a powerful, sensitively and beautifully written middle grade story. If the stunning cover illustration by Lucy Rose hasn’t already intrigued you, let me tell you more, because I predict this will be one of the 2023 middle grade books to watch.

Taking inspiration from the Victorian era of real-life female hero Mary Anning and what we now know of her contribution to science from her home along the Jurassic coast of Devon; author, Foley, has imagined one of her greatest fans in Emma Linden, a 12 year old living in London who holidays at their family cottage in Devon by the sea during Summers. Collating all that feminists abhor about this age - no rights for women whether it is education, inheritance, medical care, professional careers, Emma has also been labelled with a mysterious mental illness that means she is kept out of sight, ‘safely’ away from society.

It might seem like a straight forward plot, but heck no it isn’t, and you’re going to love that actually as you read the book you are time-shifted between 1884 and 2023. Transported between the lives of Emma Linden and her direct descendant, Rosie Linden, living in Devon by the sea, yet, unlike Emma, she’s living more than one life. We meet her after she has had an episode in another world, as a tiger, protecting, keeping everyone safe. She suddenly comes back to reality, bewildered, confused in the middle of town, and lucky for her her classmate Jude is passing by.

This is an incredible story with twists and turns, an ancient Indian mystery of humans changing into tigers that seems to have penetrated the Linden blood line. Reading of the ‘condition’ gradually taking hold of characters in the late 1800s and the early 2000s; following their journeys in real time is incredibly eye-opening. Foley’s writing style is incredibly ‘romantic’ in the way it pulls you into the narrative and you feel the injustice, grief, shock, anxiety, relief, happiness, love and joy, not always necessarily in this order.

By passing down clues through time between Emma and her grandchildren, eventually Rosie and Jude (not without risk) solve the mystery of what happened to the Linden family all those years ago.

Readers will encounter the reality of children living with psychosis related mental illness, how they struggle to cope and come to terms with a diagnosis and lead a ‘normal’ life. There are compassionate medical characters and details of care plans are included in the storyline, reflecting the obvious comparison to the appalling Victorian asylum treatments that Emma’s family fear for her.

This is a bold, heart-felt and unforgettable story. We must love and protect the tigers in our lives, and keep them safe when they are most vulnerable. It’d make an amazing classroom book by the way, teachers!

This book talks about mental health challenges in such a sensitive and supportive way. The story focuses on Emma and Jude's perspectives as they watch someone they love struggle with what appear to be delusions (although there is also a touch of the mystical about this book that makes you wonder, could there be something else going on). In the stories, set centuries apart, Emma and Jude both watch as their loved ones fall ill, recover and then fall ill again. The stories show that recovery is possible, even if relapses happen along the way. It also shows how worrying it can be to love someone with a mental illness but that support and friendship can make all the difference. I think it would be a great conversation starter for older primary aged children and a brilliant way to open up about mental well-being and battle the stigma that still exists around mental illness.

I throughly enjoyed perusing this book. Unlike any I’ve read before I thought this covered some sensitive subjects very well indeed. A great book to have for uKS2 to raise and promote conversation. I’ll definitely be recommending to many.

This book is aimed at children from 9 years +

London, 1880s: High up under the eaves of her father's townhouse, twelve-year-old Emma Linden lives and never goes out. Her dream is to follow in the footsteps of Mary Anning, the famous fossil hunter. But Emma is kept hidden away from all the world, science and study, the tools that keep her mind well. When Emma's brother, James, begins to speak obsessively of a tiger gifted to the Natural History Museum, everything she holds certain begins to crumble. Their only refuge is Kersbrook, the magical family home on the Devon coast.

Devon, 2023: After Rosie Linden has been found, missing for four days and four nights, no one believes her when she says she has turned into a tiger. A surprise inheritance and an unlikely friendship guide Rosie as she begins her journey to recovery. But as the mysteries around her family history threaten to unravel, past and present blur and a shadow looms. Tigers are prowling once more...

I found this story really beautiful. It is a wonderfully woven rich story set in two time periods. The way mental illness is discussed is really inspiring as it is not something that children would normally read about in a book, so I think this alone really makes the book stand out from others.

This is such a warm, lovely book. Both timelines unfold so beautifully, gently pulling the reader right into the heart of the story and holding them tight. The characters are perfectly realised, as is the setting, and the sensitive exploration of the mental health issues involved seemed spot on. I found myself equally invested in both the present-day story and the past and I loved the natural, unforced way in which they overlapped. This feels like a future children's classic - I loved it.

This book was so different to what I was expecting, but I did enjoy it anyway. I thought it would be a bit like a magical mystery about someone who turned into a tiger out of the blue, but it ended up being more of a discussion on mental health with connections to family and a background interest in fossils (which was not relevant to the story, aside from being something else to connect the two narratives, but again I enjoyed it anyway because I love dinosaurs. Who doesn’t?)

I thought it was nice to have mental health be a discussion in a children’s book, it’s not something I’ve come across before. I can’t say the accuracy as I don’t have psychosis myself but I do think it’s an important thing for children to have information to, and to know they aren’t alone.

I loved the writing style too. I would definitely consider reading other things by this author in future!

Aimed at 9+ - The Tiger Who Sleeps Under My Chair moves from the past to the present day and it moves so fluidly that it allows the reader to seamlessly follow the story.
The book opens in the 1800s with Emma who is kept in the attic by her father due to his fear that she may lose her mind and have a seizure. Emma's brother James is away at school and it's on his visits accompanied by his friend Olivier that the story begins to unfold. Emma's mum was placed in a mental asylum due to her mental illness and Emma fears she is headed the same way. During an enforced visit to the Natural History Museum, where James wants to show Emma a tiger he has been obsessed with, he begins to display signs of mental illness. This prompts the family to escape London to Kersbrook (a holiday home) on the Devonshire coast where Emma 'heals' whilst indulging in her hobby of fossil hunting - like her hero Mary Anning.
In the present day, Rosie Linden has been missing for 4 days when Jude finds her. Rosie believes she is a tiger who has been protecting and guarding them all.
The unlikely friendship between Jude and Rosie is heartwarming. The characters are so richly described that you feel as though you are living out the events at the same time as them.
The book discusses some sensitive issues but it is done with care.

I found this story utterly compelling. A beautifully woven rich story set in 2 time periods. A family connection, as well as plot events, binds the stories together really well. The portrayal of mental illness is gently handled and very appropriate for children. I loved the connection to Mary Anning too. Would highly recommend.

Lovely book telling a tale of friendship and family solidarity, with the lure of tales of ancient tiger folklore, what’s not to love