Book Review - Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock

In The Lions of Little Rock, a girl named Marlee, who barely speaks is beginning the seventh grade at a local middle school in Little Rock, Arkansas.  The book takes place in 1958 right in the center of the civil rights movement.  The city of Little Rock is dealing with the order to integrate the high schools by the federal government.  The governor and other elected officials have shut down the high schools instead of allowing African Americans to attend the high schools.  Marlee’s parents are teachers, her sister is a student at Central High School and her brother is a freshman in college.  The discussion of integration is a very controversial topic and even Marlee’s parents do not agree.  Marlee and her father see no problem with integration and it seems that her mother and sister seem to be in favor of keeping things segregated.  On the first day of school, Marlee meets a new girl named Liz.  Right away Liz provides Marlee with friendship and makes an impression on the seventh graders.  The two become close friends and Liz pushes Marlee to reach out of her comfort zone and speak in front of others.  Eventually, Liz is found out to be “passing” as white and quickly withdraws from school, which leaves Marlee devastated.  She is told to stay away from Liz, but the two girls continue to see each other.  On top of this, her sister, Judy is sent away to live with their grandmother and go to school.  Marlee finds herself very lonely.  This courageous seventh grader joins the WEC group to help work to open the high schools.  During this turbulent time, local boys cause issues for Liz, her family and Betty Jean’s family.  Her father loses his job because he is seen as an integrationist and threat.  Her once divided family bands together to help work towards recalling the school board members and their votes to keep the schools segregated. After being closed for a year, the school reopens and Judy returns home.  Marlee and Liz know that their friendship will never be the same, but in a way they will always be friends.  Marlee grows and learns the truth meaning of friendship.

Kristin Levine wrote an amazing historical fiction book that tells the story of 1958 in Little Rock, Arkansas.  The Lions of Little Rock was honored as on the best fiction books for  young adults by YALSA.  The youthful protagonist, Marlee, sees her life change dramatically within one school year.  The main character is forced to make difficult choices about her African American friend that was “passing” for white.  Marlee choses to follow her heart and stand by her friend, but she reaps the consequences, albeit unfair.  The Lions of Little Rock, is a great book for students in middle school.  Middle school is a difficult time in life, but the author does a great job of writing historically accurate ideas into a story line that takes place within a middle school.  The tough topics addressed within the book help the readers develop empathy and philosophical speculation about a difficult time period.  I currently use this book as a read aloud and the conversations that are started by this book make me fall in love with literature every day.  Students become so deeply involved with the story line and characters and are looking for a happy ever after, yet the ending is very realistic.  The world continues to make progress, but we must continue to work through problems.

Levine, K. (2013). The lions of Little Rock. New York: Puffin.