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Saber-Tooth
by Robin Gow
Our take
Jasper's older brother helped him pick his name when he came out as trans. That makes it worse when the same brother leaves for college without keeping a promised fossil-digging trip. Alone and furious, Jasper digs anyway and unearths the bones of a saber-toothed tiger that starts talking to him, wanting out. A verse novel this specific about a trans kid's anger, not just his identity, being the actual engine of the plot is still rare in middle grade. Reviewers keep calling it emotionally cathartic, with real craft in how the verse form itself carries the anger.
Written entirely in verse, the poetry form does real work here, mirroring how anger builds and breaks across short, sharp lines rather than long paragraphs. The saber-toothed tiger functions as both literal plot device and metaphor for rage that wants to be let out. Animal imagery threads through the whole book, tied to fossils, bones, and things buried that refuse to stay that way.
Publisher's description
From Robin Gow, the award-winning author of Dear Mothman, comes a gripping middle-grade novel in verse about a boy who digs up and loses control of a saber-toothed tiger Jasper's favorite person is his older brother, Callan. They go on fossil-finding missions and stay up late while their parents work nights. Callan even helped Jasper pick out his new name when he came out as trans. But Callan starts to grow distant and leaves for college without taking Jasper on a promised fossil dig. Jasper feels abandoned--and angry. Who needs Callan? He will dig by himself, in his backyard. As he digs, he hears a voice: the bones of a saber-toothed tiger. He's buried deep, and he wants Jasper to DIG. Jasper is sure a discovery like this could change the world, or at least get Callan to text him back. But as the saber-toothed tiger finds freedom, Jasper realizes he may have unleashed a monster that no one was ready for, and that anger can empower you--or destroy you.
- First published
- 2026
Available formats
- Print — 328 pages · ISBN 9781419777387
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