Catch a Tiger by the Toe

Book – Fiction. By Ellen Levine. 2005. 176 pages.
A historical novel for middle school on McCarthyism.

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Ellen Levine, author of Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories, tells the story of a young girl whose parents lose their jobs during the McCarthy era. Jamie Morse wants to be normal and wants to be liked, and worries about what will happen if her classmates find out that her parents participate in actions toward racial and economic justice. Jamie even finds herself joining in when her classmates tease a boy caught with a copy of The Daily Worker at school.

The book presents a great deal of historical information, with touches of humor. Jamie finds her courage over the course of the story and stands up for herself and her family’s social justice values. The text also address universal themes like fitting in, bullying, standing up for oneself.

Catch a Tiger By the Toe is an essential addition to a unit on American history, historical fiction, or politics for sophisticated fifth graders on up and a great book for children of organizers and activists. The title comes from an instance where white racists use the N-word. The author includes a bibliography of sources on McCarthyism, including many for young people. The book triumphantly displays and affirms the use of peaceful resistance to anti-democratic policies.

Published by Viking Children’s Books.

ISBN: 9780670884612