The book is listed as children's fiction. However, I feel that the writing style would not engage a young reader. As an adult, I appreciated the writing and the resilience of the main character.

Such a great read. I love that this story was written for this audience and not an older one. It was moving and beautiful and a FANTASTIC read.

A beautiful and powerful #OwnVoices novel about abusive family relationships and the possibility of freedom offered by friendship and education.

Wen Li is Chinese Australian. Her father is very strict and her mother seems to have lost her spine. When Wen Li's classmate, Henry, loses his mother, Wen Li and her mother defy her father to bring food and school work to Henry. The days of small defiance seem to give Wen Li's mother the strength to stand up to her husband, get a job outside the home, and begin supporting her fierce daughter. It is easy to see the clash between traditional Chinese expected behaviors and the more relaxed customs of Australia (and the western world) and the struggles to find one's way without losing one's past.

I thought that this book was too short for the story it was trying to tell. I read it in one sit and I wanted more from it.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. This book shares difficult and traumatic experiences of a family. It was difficult to read a times, but so essential for the reader to have empathy and understanding for others. Two of the characters developed agency and I loved the ways that they were able to find their voice to change their circumstances.

I really loved Wen as the strong heroine of this book. The brutal honesty with which her story was told was hard to read at times, but ultimately rewarding as she began to be bolder and start to change the minds of those around her. It was a short story, but it was told with a brevity and candor that got the point across. I will definitely be purchasing this book for my library.

This was a wonderful book about friendship, social responsibility, and resilience. It would be great for students- but there would need to be a lot of exposure for what happens with Henry's mom.

The only thing I wish there was more of was a little more set up of Wen and Henry's relationship and their relationships to the other students at school, but this method does probably lend itself better to students, especially reluctant readers who want to get right into the action.

This is beautifully written and deals with some sad and heavy topics. It would be wise for a parent or teacher to preview this before giving to any child under the age of 12. For anyone interested in migrant life. That would be all of us, I presume.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I am glad it is out in the world.

This is an important middle grade read , even towards YA readers , it’s about the daughter of Chinese immigrants living in Australia , her journey todo the right thing, even when she feels has no power or voice. It covers sensitive issues such as racism, violence against women, misogyny and privilege. It really is an important read and beautifully written

At 192 pages, Tiger Daughter is in the sweet spot for middle readers who want a big punch in a not-so-long book. And, boy, does Tiger Daughter make a statement.

Wen is a quiet force. She does what she’s told and doesn’t make waves. Until she finds she has no choice but to push the boundaries, even if there are repercussions. She’s bright and caring and wants to do the right thing. As she finds her courage, she shifts the power dynamic within her family.

Author Rebecca Lim’s prose is smooth and thoughtful. She deftly touches on racism, sexism and emotional domestic violence. Her care and attention to detail is evident from beginning to end, making Tiger Daughter a transformative read.

Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim

Tiger Daughter follows Wen Zhou, the daughter of Chinese immigrants living in Australia. Wen’s life is tightly controlled by her father who manages every aspect of what his family can and cannot do. In order to spend extra time with her best friend, Henry Xiao, she takes extra English lessons in the morning. Henry, also a child of immigrants, has trouble with the English language and often asks Wen for help. In exchange he helps her with her math studies. The two have agreed to take a placement test for a prestigious school across town that can offer them better opportunities. Wen doesn’t believe she will even be allowed to take the test, nevermind attend the school, but she still studies to help her friend who dreams of building planes one day.

With only a few weeks until the placement test, tragedy strikes Henry when his mother commits suicide after suffering from severe depression. Henry then stops attending school. His teachers are afraid that he will fall behind so they ask Wen to drop off assignments as she passes by his house on the way to her own home. Wen agrees to take the homework to Henry, but Wen’s mother who drops her off and picks her up from school everyday is hesitant as they are expected to be home shortly after school ends to answer Wen’s father’s phone call. He has drilled it into their heads that they must go straight home after school and Wen’s mother must have dinner on the table at a certain time for the two of them while her father is at work. If they do not follow his rules, he will come home and scream at, berate, and/or hit them. Despite the possible consequences, Wen decides to bring Henry and his father the leftovers from her dinner. When she dropped off the homework she noticed the house was empty and dark. She worried that Henry wasn’t eating and became determined to help the Xiao family like good neighbors should. Wen’s mother tries to stop her, but in the end agrees to go along with Wen as long as they come right back.

The next morning the food container is washed and sitting on the steps along with the completed packet of a week's worth of assignments. This continues on for about a week or so with no word from Henry. Wen makes him a card to show that she cares and in return she gets a math equation to solve on the assignment packet. He corrects her work when he returns the packets. This is Henry's way of showing he still cares about taking that placement test with Wen.

One day while walking home, Wen and her mother are stopped by a local store owner asking for help. She needs Wen’s mother to translate what an older woman is saying who needs to go to the hospital. Wen’s mother agrees to help and tells Wen to go home and stall her father on the phone until she gets home. This is the beginning of Wen’s father becoming suspicious of what is going on at home. The next clue he has to something going on is when Wen’s mom asks for more food money. This pretty much pushes the father over the edge. One day he comes home early and catches them off guard. The father loses it and forbids them from helping the Xiao family from now on. Wen and her mom don’t stop.

From here on in the book Wen and her mom continue to defy the father. The whole time I was reading the book I was so angry at both parents. How could the mom let the father get away with this? Why didn’t she wake up? I was so happy when she finally did! The father definitely needed to be put in his place. I understand that he was worried about his family because they lived in a poorer area, but to control every aspect of their lives is way over the line. Some more stuff happens in the book, both good and bad, but I don’t want to spoil it.

Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Lim, Random House, and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy of Tiger Daughter. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about how some immigrants try to keep their old culture and fit into their new culture and how the children are supposed to balance both lifestyles. This book also talks about difficult topics like domestic abuse and suicide, which definitely need to be talked about so people can recognize the signs.

This is one of those books that takes your heart from the moment you start reading, and crushes it just a little bit as you read, until you don’t know if you can bear it anymore.

Wen has an abusive father, and a meek mother, and is determined to never grow up to be either of them. Her father could have been a doctor if he had stayed in China, but here, in Australia, he can only be a waiter at a Chinese restaurant, where he eats his fury every day, and takes it out at home.

Wen's best friend is Henry, who is also a first-generation immigrant who is trying to better himself.

Wen has such a clear voice. So much determination. I want to take her and give her everything she doesn’t have. A very moving story, tragic, horrid, and then uplifting.

The author said, when she was growing up there were now books about people like her. She wants the present generation to have a better choice.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on August 15th, 2023.

"Tiger Daughter" by Rebecca Lim is the heartwarming coming-of-age story of Asian migrant child, Wen, and the intricacies of daily life growing up in Australia. It's about one girl's small quest to do the right thing, despite having no power or privilege. The characters of this story grapple with racism, sexism, violence against women & girls, financial abuse, intersectionality, superstition, systemic bias, unconscious bias, and privilege.

While aspects of this storyline are heartbreaking, it challenges readers to think about what it would feel like to be marginalized for a multitude of reasons. It's an important perspective for children's, middle grade, and YA readers to hear and I can't wait to add it to my classroom library.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Random House Children's. Review provided voluntarily.

I didn't know much about this book going into it and therefore didn't realize how sad it was going to be. This book deals with a lot of heavy topics but handles them fairly well. I would recommend it for more mature middle-grade readers (age 12 and up probably). It wasn't my favorite but it was beautifully written.

This book was a gem and broke my heart with how much depth it contained. Please be mindful of trigger warnings for abuse, suicide, grief, depression, racism, and bullying.

Wen and her family have moved from China to Australia. It's been a hard adjustment but she and her friend Henry are determined to get into a selective high school ... but that requires them to pass an exam. When tragedy strikes Henry's family, Wen shows her own strength, resiliency, and compassion in how she cares for those around her.

Some parts were hard for me to read, but this is a really important story to tell. I'm glad to have read it and look forward to more by this author.

Tiger Daughter
by Rebecca Lim
Pub Date 15 Aug 2023
Random House Children's,Delacorte Press
Children's Fiction| Middle Grade


A copy of Tiger Daughter was provided to me for review by Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley:


The story of Tiger Daughter is both heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time!


First-generation Chinese immigrant Wen Zhou is the daughter of Chinese migrant parents. Her parents expect her to succeed in school, especially her father, whose strict rules make her feel trapped. In her dreams, she would like to create a future that is more satisfying than what her parents expect for her. 



A boy named Henry, who is also a first generation immigrant, becomes her friend. Despite struggling with his English, he is the smartest boy at school and understands her better than anyone else. Together, they plan to take an entrance exam for a selective school far from home in order to escape. 



It will take all of Wen's tiger strength and resilience to get herself and Henry through tragedy. 


I give Tiger Daugter five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House Children's Publishing for allowing me to read a digital ARC of Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim.

Wen is a first-generation daughter of Chinese migrant parents living in Australia. The book focuses on her time in school and her parents high expectations for academic success; her friendship with Henry, another first generation immigrant; her relationship with her parents; and her own dreams of what a successful and fulfilling future will look like.

This book is both heartbreaking and inspiring. It focuses on the issues of racism, bullying, depression, grief/loss of a parent, and domestic violence. I enjoyed the character of Wen and thought she was well-developed. I also really liked how her relationship with her mother grew and changed. There are a lot of big issues in this story and the author handled them deftly. This book has definite depth. It's emotional and painful and could lead to some meaningful conversations. That being it isn't a light or happy read and I found it be choppy at times and not move as smoothly as I would have liked. Some may have difficulty getting into and staying in the story because of this.

This book is brave and strong and well written...but just not for me. Maybe I wasn't in the right head space, but the verbal abuse of the MC's father and her mother's complicity with it felt unrelenting and exhausting. I think this book will have great meaning for some readers, perhaps even save a life or two, but for me it was depressing and bleak with letter respite.

I don't have the words to adequately convey just how amazing....and important...and needed that this book is.

I am neither Chinese, Australian, nor a recent immigrant. However, as a former teacher, and the mother of two daughters born in China, I am more than familiar with the topics that this book covers. Yes, at times it was uncomfortable. Folks? Sometimes you *need* to feel uncomfortable. The characters in "Tiger Daughter" felt this way all the time, every day, 24/7. It is an absolutely beautiful story beginning in tragedy that blooms ever so slowly into the promise of hope...happiness...and joy. I fully admit to reading through tears during several parts.

My oldest daughter is currently in college, studying to be a middle grade social studies teacher. I have already ordered her a copy of "Tiger Daughter" that she can read to her very first class...and every class thereafter, once she graduates.

My sincerest thanks to the publisher, Rebecca Lim, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.