Big Tiger and Christian cover

Big Tiger and Christian

by Fritz Mühlenweg

Two boys decide to play hooky and go kite-flying, and since this is Peking in the early 1920's, it rapidly becomes an adventure. Big Tiger and his European friend Christian wind up trapped on a speeding troop-train, rescued by a famous warlord, and then sent by him on a secret mission into remote, mysterious Mongolia. Their companions are a friendly but larcenous noncommissioned officer and a merchant who isn't at all what he claims to be. Along the way, the boys meet bandits, herdsmen, lamas -- and a clever Mongol girl and her extraordinary poodle. This is a WONDERFUL book. Although it is classified as a YA novel, any adult will read it with pleasure. The author spent years in China and Mongolia, and writes sympathetically but accurately of the people and conditions the two boys experience.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?