Catch a Tiger by the Toe

by Ellen Levine

Book Overview

Jamie is like most girls in the 1950s--she loves Hollywood movie stars and practicing her yoyo moves. But unlike those other girls, she has something to hide, a secret that is hurting her family. Jamie's father is a member of the Communist Party, and in 1953, that's the worst thing you can be. Senator Joseph McCarthy and his committee are throwing Americans in jail if they refuse to reveal the names of other Communists, and Jamie's dad won't. He's...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670884618
• ISBN13: 9780670884612
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Viking Children's Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 3 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 3

Customer Reviews

Catch a Tiger by the Toe

Jamie Morse lived with her family during the age of McCarthyism. Her father and mother were leftists: they believed in the ideas of communism, and during the age of McCarthy and the Red Scare, this was dangerous. When McCarthyism intensified, Jamie's parents both lost their jobs. Jamie was kicked off the school newspaper and was ignored and harassed by the other students. Jamie's father was subpoenaed to the McCarthy hearings, where he refused to give away the names of anybody he knew. He stood up for what he believed in, and Jamie was finally able to appreciate his courage. Levine did an excellent job capturing the attitudes of people during this time period. The characters were all well developed and realistic. Each character has a distinct personality and opinion. Jamie's uncertainty and inability to appreciate her father's bravery seemed appropriate for a child of her age. Every aspect of the characters' lives was believable. An interesting addition to the novel was the blocks of text that acted as a movie that Jamie was continuously creating in her head. They were placed sporadically throughout the book, and seemed to add to the depth of Jamie's character. Each movie scene offered a different perspective on a situation that Jamie was dealing with in real life. This made Jamie seem alert and aware of what was going on around her, as many teenagers during this time must have been. The lack of participation in politics by teens today was made very obvious by how active the teens were during this time period.

Wonderful Life Lesson for both children and adults both

Catch a Tiger by the Toe Ellen Levine Viking Penguin Young Readers Group 345 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y. 10014 HC 192 pages, $15.99 ISBN# 0-670-88461-8 Thirteen-year-old Jamie Morse is like other kids her age in the 1950's, almost anyway. She lives in New York City, loves going to the movies and looking through magazines, works hard in school, and listens to special radio programs with her family at night. There is a difference though, and Jamie keeps this a secret for as long as she can until one terrible day. She's sick of hearing about politics, about "Commies," those "Reds," the "Moscow Menace," and phrases like "Got to get rid of the Commie traitors in our government." Her whole world turns upside down. Even her best friend won't talk to her. Jamie's story mirrors what many families faced during the "Red Scare." It isn't the only time principals in the American Constitution have been threatened and by one of its own. It surely won't be the last. `Catch a Tiger by the Toe' stirs up conversation and debate, but that's okay. Americans have the right to exercise the Amendments and shouldn't be persecuted for assembling peaceably. Neither should they be punished for their ideas. Story Excerpt: (scene setter) Two men from the FBI have just stopped Jamie and begin asking her questions. "It's a survey about newspapers. Does your Dad read the New York Times? The National Guardian? The Daily Worker?" These men must have thought I was real dumb. Sure, they're doing a questionnaire. My foot! "My foot!" I said. I startled myself as well as them. I ran around Mr. Talker, up the block, and headed for the playground. I wasn't going home with them following me." Levine knows how to write an opening. In this story she opens in such a way as to pull readers in quick. Before they know it readers have read a whole chapter, and then another, and then another. `Catch a Tiger by the Toe' is written in first-person through the main character's eyes, teaches as well as entertains, and is set at a time when McCarthyism has an affect on everyone.

Catch A Tiger By The Toe

Jamie is a well-developed protagonist reflecting her age so well in the way she loves and deplores her family. Levine has created an accurate portrayal of the McCarthy Era giving it an immediacy history books often miss. Readers will know about the tension and tragedy of that period in a personal way. The last chapter gave me goose-bumps and made me teary eyed.