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notoriouskog's review
5.0
Loved it! I am NOT a huge historical fiction fan, but this book really grabbed me. It was a bit slow going at first, but it took on a side of the Civil Rights movement that I think is really approachable for kids. Everyone knows what it's like to have that friend who may or may not be popular; LoLR takes that concept and flips it on its head. When Marlee wants so badly to be friends with a girl accused of passing as white, she has to confront a social issue head on. It brings a different aspect of the Civil Rights movement down to a middle school level; we're even using it as a read aloud in English next semester to connect to VA history standards of learning.
jenmangler's review
3.0
Marlee & Liz aren't supposed to be friends, and it's not safe to be friends, but they need each other. They help each other face their fears and grow. It really is a beautiful friendship.
I love that this book shows again and again how hard it is to do the right thing. There are all kinds of obstacles - personal, familial, societal - and The Lions of Little Rock didn't gloss over that. The fear the characters faced felt very real to me, which made their courage in the face of that fear all the more inspiring.
And I've just gotta add that I love Marlee so, so much. How could I not, when her mother takes her shopping for a new dress and she thinks, "...I would have preferred to have worn hand-me-downs from Judy and spent the money on a new package of graph paper, a box of pencils and a new protractor."? That's a geek girl after my own heart. And I love how her family and her teachers encourage her love of math and never make her feel like a freak. I wish every geek girl in the world had people in their lives like the people in Marlee's life.
Originally read: November 13-28, 2014
Reread: January 23-February 5, 2017
I love that this book shows again and again how hard it is to do the right thing. There are all kinds of obstacles - personal, familial, societal - and The Lions of Little Rock didn't gloss over that. The fear the characters faced felt very real to me, which made their courage in the face of that fear all the more inspiring.
And I've just gotta add that I love Marlee so, so much. How could I not, when her mother takes her shopping for a new dress and she thinks, "...I would have preferred to have worn hand-me-downs from Judy and spent the money on a new package of graph paper, a box of pencils and a new protractor."? That's a geek girl after my own heart. And I love how her family and her teachers encourage her love of math and never make her feel like a freak. I wish every geek girl in the world had people in their lives like the people in Marlee's life.
Originally read: November 13-28, 2014
Reread: January 23-February 5, 2017
txpamcakers's review
4.0
Interesting read. My mom was the same age as the protagonist in 1958, and it puts some things into perspective. I am so glad there were people before me to fight this fight.
justcallme_blondie's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is my absolute favorite book and it's such a shame that no one knows about it. I will recommend this book until my dying day. i've reread this book probably six or seven times and it feels like the first time all over again. A Pulitzer Prize, in my opinion
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Hate crime and Racial slurs
jordanak03's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
vtsarahd's review
4.0
Enjoyed the historical perspective in this book of such a turbulent period in American History. Marlee was such a fascinating character and I loved how she grew to find her voice as the story developed.
gmamartha's review
4.0
What happened the year AFTER the Little Rock Nine integration? This is the story of the lost year, and how to find a voice - in more ways than one.
roseleaf24's review
5.0
Picking this up, I sighed a bit, thinking "Historical fiction about civil rights in the South. Hasn't this been done?" Well, yes, it has. But there's a reason it's been done so frequently. There are so many stories, other than the ones we have all come to know well, and the characters involved in such stories are so rich. This is the story of the struggle to integrate the schools in Little Rock, Arkansas -- not the year of the Little Rock Nine that we're familiar with, but the following year when the high schools, black and white, were closed by the governor to avoid integration. Marlee is in junior high school, so she still has school, but her sister is sent away to live with her grandmother and attend school there. Her sister was one of the few people Marlee would talk to. She learns to open up to a new friend, however, then loses that friend when she is forced to leave the school. Marlee must navigate the normal pressures of junior high, while trying to find her voice in a world that doesn't want to hear it.
alsudik's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0