This is really a mixed bag of suggestions since there are so many appealing factors to Tiger King. Not all books are technically "Young Adult," though I think they can all be appreciated by a YA audience and don't get too challenging with the text (especially in regards to the non-fiction).
For those who want fictional stories about people and exotic animals...
- Life of Pi by Yann Martel
- The book is a bit more complex than the blurb, but the story YA readers will enjoy involves a teenage boy surviving a shipwreck with a few zoo animals, though eventually, it's down to just him and a tiger on a lifeboat. He must use his wits to keep the tiger in check while hoping for rescue.
- Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
- From the publisher: From a Printz-Honor-winning author, an absorbing novel about a teen boy whose scientist parents take in a chimpanzee.
- Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
- From the publisher: From National Book Award Finalist Eliot Schrefer comes the compelling tale of a girl who must save a group of bonobos -- and herself -- from a violent coup.
- Rescued by Eliot Schrefer
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- Once a year, predatory horses rise from the sea, and the people of the island of Thisby capture them and race them in one of the deadliest races in the world. Not only are you trying to keep your horse from killing you, but you have to contend with the other riders' horses. If you like books about dangerous animals, the bond that can (sometimes) be formed with them, and stories about underdogs trying to make it big, you'll like this one.
- The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
For true stories about exotic animals...
- Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French
- The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century Book by Kirk W. Johnson
- Forbidden Creatures by Peter Laufer
- Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking by Rachel Love Nuwer
- Hunt for Justice: The True Story of an Undercover Wildlife Agent by Lucinda Delaney Schroeder
- Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler by Jessica Speart
- The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish by Emily Voigt
For those who want scandal...
- One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
- A student dies from an allergic reaction during afternoon detention and a blog post claims it was murder. The other four students in the room are the prime suspects - Simon has dug up secrets on all four of them, and he was about to publish them. Told from alternating viewpoints, this is a gripping who-done-it that revolves around high school scandals. I listened to this on audiobook and it was a great performance with multiple voice actors.
- All of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor
- High school students meet their idol, author Fatima Ro, and become close friends with her. What will Fatima take from them in return? This book has an interesting style, told in part through texts, interviews, and emails.
- All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban
- Scholarship winners find themselves locked into a room with a bomb, and the only way out is if they choose which among them will die. They have one hour. Who locked them in, and what do they really want? Turns out everybody has secrets that they're hiding and as they fight for their right to survive, all that dirty laundry gets turned out.
Fiction with a reality TV vibe...
- The Speed of Falling Objects by Nancy Richardson Fischer
- When Danny was young, her dad took off to film his survivalist reality show and become a star. For her 17th birthday, he invites her along to the Amazon as he shoots his next adventure with Hollywood's hottest teen idol. But when the plane crashes far off their route, and with little chance of anyone finding them in the rainforest, Danny learns more about who her dad really is and if she herself has what it takes to survive.
- All of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor
