Listening for Tigers

Description: In this thought-provoking sequel to the award-winning Music for Tigers, middle-schooler Louisa carries a secret the world isn't meant to know: the Tasmanian tiger still exists. As scientists press for answers and her family face unexpected challenges, Louisa learns to trust the music of nature--and herself--to protect the fragile future of the wild.

Review Quotes:

2026 CanLit for Little Canadians - Upcoming Releases of YoungCanLit for Summer and Fall 2026 feature

32 Canadian books for tweens and teens to read this fall - CBC Books feature

Fall Youth Preview 2026 - Booklist

• "A meditative novel of resilience and interconnectedness."--Booklist Review
• "In this second of a projected trilogy, a young violinist guards an impossible secret: The Tasmanian tiger isn't extinct. Now scientists are asking questions. Louisa's summer at her grandfather's Ontario farmhouse should be restful--tendonitis has sidelined her violin practice--but an organization funding a de-extinction lab emails her biologist mother asking about a recent Tasmanian tiger sighting rumor. Louisa and her family know a thylacine survives, hidden in Tasmania's Tarkine rainforest by Aboriginal elders (2020's Music for Tigers saw Louisa coming across the animal while visiting her Uncle Ruff in Australia). Kadarusman unspools the suspense slowly, giving plenty of weight to sister Sophie, home from college after a manic episode and hospitalization and newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The depiction is unsentimental: Sophie snaps that Louisa's "little panic attacks" don't compare, then admits that her struggles will be "a day-to-day thing. For a lifetime." Louisa's anxiety and introversion get similar care, as does autistic best friend Colin, whose meticulous research reports help move the story forward. Excerpts from great-grandmother Eleanor's 1939 journal introduce Palawa songlines (songs passed down from the ancestors); the debate from the previous book stays open, with Mom defending de-extinction and Dad arguing that the money spent resurrecting these species should instead go into habitat conservation. The book's climax flirts with mysticism; Uncle Ruff's insistence that the world needs both skeptics and dreamers is the book's real thesis. Main characters are cued white. A tender, brainy sequel that gives science, intuition, and mental illness equal room to breathe." --Kirkus Reviews

"It is another summer for Louisa, but instead of practicing her violin and visiting Uncle Ruff in Tasmania as she did the year before, she finds herself with an arm in a sling and spending the season on her grandfather's farm. Meanwhile, exciting developments in thylacine research have captured public attention. Scientists are attempting to bring back the extinct Tasmanian tiger using preserved cells and a related marsupial species. The news, combined with her sister Sophie's ongoing mental health struggles, makes for a tumultuous summer. Kadarusman delivers a strong sequel to Music for Tigers, weaving together music, science, and (...) storytelling traditions. Through discussions of Songlines and contemporary de-extinction efforts, the novel offers an accessible introduction of complex ideas while maintaining an engaging narrative. Familiar characters, including Colin and Uncle Ruff, provide continuity for returning readers, while the sensitive portrayal of Sophie's struggles adds emotional depth. Louisa remains a thoughtful and appealing protagonist whose curiosity helps tie together the book's many themes.

VERDICT A recommended purchase for middle grade collections, particularly where Music for Tigers is popular. This thoughtful sequel explores the intersection of art, science, and cultural knowledge while -celebrating the mysteries that still exist in the natural world." --School Library Journal Review

• "2026 is clearly the year of the Tasmanian Tiger (and if you read You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This then you'll understand what I mean when I say that). In this tale, Louisa is a brilliant violinist who is spending summer vacation far from the city and with her new friends in Tasmania. When she learns that a de-extinction group has heard rumors of a Tasmanian Tiger, she desperately wants to protect the mysterious creature from the group itself. It's an interesting twist on environmental tales, and one that I'm legitimately looking forward to reading myself."--SLJ, Betsy Bird Fuse-8

• "Michelle Kadarusman has written some beautiful novels that escort readers into the natural world especially often inviting them to respect the plight of animal extinction. (Berani, We The Sea Turtles). Listening for Tigers is the second novel in a trilogy. We first met Louisa in the book Music for Tigers where her adventure in Tasmania helped her to rescue the Tasmanian thylacine tiger which she named Ellie and was believed to have been extinct for nearly a century. In this sequel, young Louisa is visiting her grandfather's farmhouse in southern Ontario. When her biologist mother gets a message from a de-extinction organization (TIGRR lab) to help with a project that seek out evidence of the lost species, Louisa is worried that discovering the secret of Ellie's survival will lead to trouble in the scientific world. Michelle Kadarusman tells a story of vanishing animals in the world through the eyes of a compassionate, courageous, somewhat introverted, girl ("You're a musician. A listener. A deep thinker") who has personal worries that involves an injured elbow, a frightening near-death accident and devotion to her older sister who has been diagnosed as being bi-polar. Through dreams and music and listening for tigers, Louisa - and readers - come to understand the significance of respecting and preserving the wild at a time when "de-extinction is no longer speculative. It is happening," (Author's note) --Dr Larry Swartz online blog