The day of Hamra’s 13th birthday begins without fanfare. Her mother is still at work at the hospital, her father is exhausted from delivering food to families isolated by the pandemic, she both worries about and is irritated by her aging grandfather and dementia-challenged grandmother, and she’s facing a day of remote school at the dining room table. This contemporary novel set in Malaysia slips into fantasy when Hamra walks into the nearby jungle later that morning without following her family’s established protocol: Ask permission before entry, never take something that isn’t yours, and “If you hear someone calling your name, never, ever look behind you.” In a rush, Hamra doesn’t ask permission, the mango she takes isn’t hers, and the thing that calls her name is an enchanted tiger. Soon Hamra (Malay) and her best friend, Ilyas (Malay/Chinese), have embarked on a multi-staged, riddled quest: If Hamra and Ilyas help return the tiger to his human form, he will restore her grandmother’s slipping memory. A swiftly paced story studded with harrowing adventure and near escapes from disaster sees Hamra, who is Muslim, emerge with a new and deeper understanding of friendship, family, loyalty, and trust. (Ages 9-12)