The Tiger in the Well facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Philip Pullman |
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| Cover artist | Beatrice Haley |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Sally Lockhart series |
| Genre | Suspense/Adventure |
| Publisher | Knopf |
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Publication date
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1990 |
| Pages | 448 |
| ISBN | 978-0-439-97780-7 |
| OCLC | 53394122 |
| Preceded by | The Shadow in the North |
| Followed by | The Tin Princess |
The Tiger in the Well is an exciting adventure book written by the English author Philip Pullman. It was first published in 1990. This story is part of the popular Sally Lockhart series.
Contents
The Story of Sally Lockhart
This book's adventure begins in the autumn of 1881. Sally Lockhart lives with her young daughter, Harriet, along with her nurse, Sarah-Jane, and her cook, Ellie. Her friends Webster, Jim, and Charles are away in South America.
A Shocking Claim
One day, a surprising legal paper arrives at Sally's house. It says that a businessman named Arthur Parrish claims he is Sally's husband and Harriet's father. Sally is very confused because she has never been married. The paper also states that Harriet's "father" wants to take her away.
Sally takes the paper to her lawyer, but he isn't very helpful. He seems more interested in the charges Parrish is making than in whether Sally was actually married.
New Arrivals and Mysteries
Meanwhile, people from Russia are arriving in England by boat. A journalist from Germany named Jacob Liebermann visits a group called the League of the Democratic Socialist Association. He meets Dan Goldberg, another journalist. Jacob tells Dan about a powerful, mysterious man named the Tzaddik. The Tzaddik is causing trouble for many people, especially those from Jewish communities. Jacob also mentions Parrish's name, which Dan recognizes.
Investigating the Truth
The next day, Sally tells her friend and employee, Margaret Haddow, everything that has happened. Margaret tries to secretly investigate Parrish's office. However, Parrish quickly realizes she works for Sally.
Sally goes to the church where she supposedly got married to Parrish. She finds a record of their wedding. She also learns that the priest who supposedly married them has now retired under suspicion. Sally decides to write to Harriet's aunt Rosa, who is married to a clergyman, to learn more about the priest.
Meanwhile, Dan Goldberg arranges for something important to be taken from one of Parrish's employees. Dan looks at a notebook that was taken and learns about the case against Sally. The next day, Sally argues with her lawyer about how little he is helping her case. After that, Sally buys a revolver for protection. That night, someone enters her house and takes Harriet's teddy bear.
Seeking Answers
Soon, Sally tries to ask Parrish's neighbors about him, but they close their doors. She finds out that the same priest who "married" them also recommended Parrish to the local vicar. Sally returns home, puzzled, to find Rosa waiting for her. They discuss the case and realize that Parrish wants Harriet and has faked everything to get her.
Parrish and Sally have meetings with their lawyers. Parrish is happy, but Sally is angry. On her way home, one of Goldberg's employees tries to talk to her. Sally thinks he is one of Parrish's men and threatens him with her revolver.
Over the weekend, Sally visits Rosa's house. Rosa and her husband, Nicholas Bedwell, promise to help all they can. Sally goes to a meeting with her lawyer, who is very rude and tells her she has no chance of winning.
Losing Everything
In the courtroom, the case ends quickly because Sally does not show up. Parrish gains legal control of Harriet and all of Sally's money. Sally plans to hide and fight back. She and Harriet move from their first boarding house quickly after a disagreement with the landlady.
Mr. Parrish takes all of Sally's money from her bank account without her knowing. Then he hires a private detective to find Sally. The detective goes to Sally's office and finds a letter from her current boarding house. Margaret realizes he knows where Sally is and sends a message for Sally to leave.
Sally struggles to find another safe place to stay. She even has to sell her father's watch for a few extra coins. Sally finally rests on a park bench, but a man named Morris Katz tells her to come with him to somewhere safe.
A New Alliance
The safe place turns out to be a shelter for people in need. Sally volunteers to work there. We then see the Tzaddik and his helper, Michelet, arrive at their home in London. The Tzaddik is told about Sally's case and says he is pleased she lost.
The next morning, Sally sees many difficult situations people face while working for the Mission. Morris Katz returns and takes Sally to Soho, where she meets Dan Goldberg. Goldberg tells Sally that Parrish is a dishonest person, involved in many bad schemes, especially against people from Jewish communities. He also tells her about the Tzaddik. Sally realizes that the Tzaddik is the one who truly wants Harriet. The Tzaddik forces a police officer to arrest Dan Goldberg and find Sally Lockhart.
Clues and Rescues
Soon, Sally receives three letters brought by Daniel Goldberg. One is from Sarah-Jane, saying policemen have been searching the house. Another is from Nicholas Bedwell, who found the priest Sally was looking for. The third is from Goldberg, apologizing for missing Sally. Sally follows Nicholas's lead and finds the priest. Sally questions the priest, but he refuses to talk.
The next day, Margaret tells Sally she has found a wonderful lawyer, Mr. Wentworth. Sally wants to know if he can take her case, but Margaret says Sally must come out of hiding first. Before Sally can reply, Goldberg arrives and asks for her help to rescue a girl named Rebecca Meyer. Sally successfully helps rescue Rebecca.
They go to the Katz's house, where Morris, his wife, and his daughter Leah are waiting. Rebecca says that Dutch seems to be the Tzaddik's native language. She also says he treats his helpers badly and uses a monkey to assist him. She knows he uses whistles to control large groups of people, forcing them to attack homes and businesses in Russia. She used to be friends with one of the maidservants before the maidservant disappeared, which is how she knows these things. Suddenly, police raid the Katz's house looking for Goldberg, who is not there. They claim Goldberg is a murderer, but when they leave, Katz explains that some countries make up false charges when the real reasons are about politics.
Rebecca has brought a label from the Tzaddik's luggage all the way from Russia. The label belongs to a Mr. Lee, and Sally realizes it's all connected to her past. She decides to find Mr. Wentworth to ask him to be Goldberg's lawyer. Mr. Wentworth agrees but is unsure what will happen to Sally if she continues to hide from the police.
Infiltrating the Enemy
Sally has a plan. She cuts off her hair and goes to the Katz's house again. This time, she brings Harriet, whom she had left at the mission. The three women at the Katz's house dye Sally's hair with henna. Sally says goodbye to Harriet and prepares to sneak into the Tzaddik's house.
Sally becomes a maid in the Tzaddik's house. She learns how everything works, including the two groups of helpers: the servers and the Tzaddik's personal helpers. Later, she meets Michelet, the Tzaddik's personal assistant, who immediately tries to flirt with her. She learns that the Tzaddik has a monkey that does many things for him.
Meanwhile, Margaret meets with Mr. Wentworth, who is starting to realize how difficult Sally's situation is. Sarah-Jane arrives and tells Margaret that they have been forced out of their house. Mr. Katz's apprentice tells Goldberg what Sally is doing.
Late at night, Sally secretly listens to the Tzaddik's secretary and Michelet arguing. They are talking about how Harriet would be trained to replace the monkey that helps the Tzaddik. Sally is horrified. She goes back to her room, but Michelet is waiting for her. She lies and says she didn't hear anything, but Michelet is suspicious. The next morning, Mr. Parrish visits the Tzaddik. Sally tries to listen but hears nothing.
The Confrontation
Goldberg holds a meeting to address some of the unfair situations happening to people from Jewish communities. Among those present is a group leader named Kid Mendel, who helps Goldberg keep order. Parrish finds out where Harriet is and spreads nasty rumors about people from Jewish communities. Goldberg plans to keep an eye on Harriet and Sally, but before he can, Parrish takes Harriet. Goldberg sends four groups to look for Harriet.
Sally confronts the Tzaddik and realizes that he is actually Ah Ling. Sally had confronted and shot him over ten years ago, causing his paralysis when her shot went through his spine. Sally tries to harm him again but fails. She is taken to a dark cellar, but not before she secretly takes a page from a ledger showing illegal activities. Goldberg finds the house where Harriet is and takes a group of teenagers to get her out. They succeed, though one of the teens, a girl named Bridie, becomes unconscious. Dan is left behind with a bullet in his arm. Parrish has a lot of explaining to do to the police officer who investigates the incident, as he was the one who shot Goldberg. Goldberg is taken into police care.
One of Goldberg's other watch-groups asks the Tzaddik's secretary where Harriet is, and he realizes they don't know. He reports this to the Tzaddik, and they call the police. Then the Tzaddik and Michelet go down to the cellar to see Sally. Meanwhile, two boys help Goldberg escape from the van taking him to jail, and the bullet is removed from his arm. He tells the boys who freed him to go find Harriet.
The Flood and the Tiger
Sally questions the Tzaddik when he comes to see her, even though she is in a difficult position. She then talks to him about his bad actions. The Tzaddik then tells Sally that Parrish has Harriet. Suddenly, a flood breaks through the cellar wall. Michelet drowns immediately. Sally, for reasons she doesn't understand, tries to save the Tzaddik as the house collapses.
Dan is stopping a riot when the police catch up with him. Before he is taken away, he is told that the Tzaddik's house just collapsed. The Tzaddik tells Sally a story about a tiger stuck in a village's well. The villagers prayed for rain, and the rain drowned the tiger. The Tzaddik is reminded of that story by the current situation, but he doesn't say who the tiger is in their situation. Suddenly, the Tzaddik has a seizure and dies.
Reunion and Resolution
The group with Harriet and the unconscious Bridie stops in a safe place for a while. Bridie wakes up and takes care of Harriet until the owner of the place tells them to leave. The owner realizes that Harriet doesn't belong with them, so he tells a policeman. The other two boys arrive at the same place that Harriet and her group just left, so they are taken in for taking a child.
Sarah-Jane is standing outside their house when Jim arrives. She explains everything that is happening to him, and he starts to go into the house. Kid Mendel stops him and offers his help and his side of the story. Jim takes the advice, and they go into the house and start throwing Mr. Parrish's belongings out the window. When Mr. Parrish tries to stop them, Sarah-Jane drops a chamber pot on his head.
Kid Mendel hears that the house where Sally was collapsed, so he and Jim go to investigate. Jim arrives just in time to see Sally rescued from the ruins. She gives him the page from the ledger that she had hidden and asks where Harriet is. She is immediately given medical care.
The two boys are released from police care because there were no charges against them. They go to where the other group is and report where Harriet can be found. Jim goes there as soon as possible and brings Harriet home. Mr. Wentworth wins Sally's appeal with all the new evidence. Sally decides that she wants to marry Dan Goldberg, as she considers him her equal.
TV Show Plans
There were plans for all four Sally Lockhart books to be made into TV shows by the BBC. However, only The Shadow in the North aired on December 30, 2007. Since then, there hasn't been any news about a TV show for The Tiger in the Well.
