The Sultan’s Tigers

Tom Trelawney has been grounded for his last escapade with his uncle. You would think he’d learned his lesson – but not Tom. When his grandfather dies, Tom and his family, including his uncle, travel to Scotland for the funeral. Tom is left alone in his grandfather’s house when suddenly a stranger, Marko, breaks in and ties him up, demanding papers which Tom’s grandfather had been hiding. After Tom’s parents return and chase Marko off, Tom finds the letters and discovers they tell of a Sultan Tippoo, who had incredibly valuable tigers, one of which was stolen by one of Tom’s ancestors. The letters tell the tiger’s location. Tom and his uncle head off to India to investigate, but Marko follows them. When Marko reveals that he killed Tom’s grandfather, Tom is torn between getting the tiger – or getting revenge.

The book was fast-paced, interesting, and realistic. But Tom was very annoying! He was the classic whiny, entitled kid. The history was interesting, and learning about rural India was fun. I just wish Tom could have been left out