Secret of the Tiger's Eye [Mass Market Paperback]

Phyllis A. Whitney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 1978

Young Benita, visiting her aunt Persis in Cape Town, South Africa, becomes intrigued with the story of the ghost of a menacing tiger that haunts a nearby cave and sets out to see for herself with her new friend Charis.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Young Benita, visiting her aunt Persis in Cape Town, South Africa, becomes intrigued with the story of the ghost of a menacing tiger that haunts a nearby cave and sets out to see for herself with her new friend Charis. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Signet (October 3, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451082982
• ISBN-13: 978-0451082985
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,740,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery and Friendship, January 11, 2012

By 

Tracy Christenson "dictionary enchantress" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret of the Tiger's Eye (Mass Market Paperback)

Benita Dustin's father is a writer, just like she hopes to be one day. When her father announces that they will live for a year in South Africa with his Aunt Persis so that he can do research, it sounds like a grand adventure. The trouble is that her father's editor has given permission for her son, Joel, to accompany them because she thinks the experience would be good for him, too. Benita's little brother, Lanny, gets along well with Joel, but Benita and Joel fight and tease each other almost constantly. Benita gets annoyed with Joel's obsession with facts and information, and Joel thinks that Benita's stories and flights of fancy are silly. Aunt Persis's house is wonderful with a beautiful tower room where Benita is allowed to stay. There is even a fantastic story about the ghost of a tiger that Aunt Persis's husband shot years ago in India haunting the grounds of the house and the little cave in the garden. Although Joel scoffs at the idea of a tiger ghost, Benita is captivated by the story, especially when strange things begin to happen around the house. Benita learns about the tragic death of Aunt Persis's adopted son, Malcolm and the strange theft of the emerald diadem that Aunt Persis received from the rajah that her husband saved from the tiger years ago. However, she will need Joel's help to make sense of the situation.

Besides the mystery, there is also a subplot about the nature of hate and prejudice. In South Africa, at the time the story was written, apartheid was a big issue. Benita makes friends with a girl of mixed race called Charis, and they talk about racial issues in South Africa and the U.S. during the 1960s. Although Benita wouldn't think of being prejudiced against anyone on the basis of race, she finds it harder to understand people with different personalities, like Joel. The two become friends when they learn to allow each other to be themselves and to appreciate each other's good points.