SABER-TOOTH

With his brother off at college, Jasper, an autistic, white, transgender boy, feels more alone than ever—until a saber-toothed tiger that’s buried in his backyard starts speaking to him.

The whole summer, Jasper’s older brother, Callan, promised to take him fossil hunting, but Callan was always busy seeing friends or playing the guitar and video games. Maybe if Jasper had just gone by himself, he wouldn’t have gotten so angry that he broke Callan’s laptop, but now it’s too late. The day after Callan leaves, eighth grader Jasper starts digging a hole in his backyard, hoping to unearth a discovery, but he’s startled when he hears the voice of a saber-toothed tiger in his mind. At first, Jasper is excited and determined to help his new tiger friend, who understands him in a way no one else does, but Jasper soon struggles to hide his overwhelming exhaustion and the growing hole in his backyard. Jasper’s understanding of friendship evolves as he opens up to several peers who bring broadly diverse representation to the story. Gow’s skillful use of spacing and line length in this verse novel adds visual dimension to Jasper’s emotions, which take on a tangible external force through the saber-toothed tiger and the conflict that arises from unearthing him. The author explores the complexity of anger—honoring its validity without dismissing accountability for one’s actions—in a way that’s artful and immersive.

Deeply cathartic; balances emotional depth with engrossing suspense.