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librarybonanza 's review for:
The Lions of Little Rock
by Kristin Levine
Age: 4th-7th grade (advanced reader)
"Two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958.
"Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear - speaking. But then Liz is gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families" (Goodreads).
The beauty of this book lies in its tragic ending when Marlee and Liz realize that they can't maintain the friendship they so desire due to cultural stigmas. (So tragic since they were such perfect, complimentary friends.) For a younger age group, this might be hard to swallow. However, because it is historical fiction, kids can reflect on how these dangerous stigmas rarely exist in their lives and how tragic it would be without friends of theirs that have different skin colors. This would be excellent for book group or class because it requires a deeper contextual understanding, especially when Marlee so casually uses the word "Negro" because it was acceptable at the time. This may bring up controversy like Huck Finn.
One minor note, I got thirsty quite often reading this book! Marlee had several lovable quirks about her including comparing people to beverages and counting prime numbers in her head when she was nervous.
Favorite line: Marlee's mother reflects on her daughter's emergent courage (and how she's always been mesmerized by the nearby zoo) by stating, "She talks with the lions."
"Two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958.
"Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear - speaking. But then Liz is gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families" (Goodreads).
The beauty of this book lies in its tragic ending when Marlee and Liz realize that they can't maintain the friendship they so desire due to cultural stigmas. (So tragic since they were such perfect, complimentary friends.) For a younger age group, this might be hard to swallow. However, because it is historical fiction, kids can reflect on how these dangerous stigmas rarely exist in their lives and how tragic it would be without friends of theirs that have different skin colors. This would be excellent for book group or class because it requires a deeper contextual understanding, especially when Marlee so casually uses the word "Negro" because it was acceptable at the time. This may bring up controversy like Huck Finn.
One minor note, I got thirsty quite often reading this book! Marlee had several lovable quirks about her including comparing people to beverages and counting prime numbers in her head when she was nervous.
Favorite line: Marlee's mother reflects on her daughter's emergent courage (and how she's always been mesmerized by the nearby zoo) by stating, "She talks with the lions."