The Lions of Little Rock

by Kristin Levine

Overview

"Satisfying, gratifying, touching, weighty—this authentic piece of work has got soul."—The New York Times Book Review

As twelve-year-old Marlee starts middle school in 1958 Little Rock, it feels like her whole world is falling apart. Until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is everything Marlee wishes she could be: she's brave, brash and always knows the right thing to say. But when Liz leaves school without even a good-bye, the rumor is that Liz was caught passing for white. Marlee decides that doesn't matter. She just wants her friend back. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are even willing to take on segregation and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.


Winner of the New-York Historical Society Children’s History Book Prize

A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142424353
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/10/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	55,195
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 4.70(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Kristin Levine (www.kristinlevine.com) received her BA in German from Swarthmore College and an MFA in film from American University. She spent a year in Vienna, Austria, working as an au pair, and has taught screenwriting at American University. Currently, she lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her two daughters. She is the author of the critically acclaimed The Best Luck I Ever Had, The Lions of Little Rock, and The Paper Cowboy. Follow her on Twitter @KristinSLevine.

Editorial Reviews

"Creating a book that reads as though written in one effortless breath requires a rare talent . . Readers will root for a painfully shy girl to discover the depths of her own courage and find hope in the notion that even in tumultuous times, standing up for the people you love can’t be wrong. Satisfying, gratifying, touching, weighty—this authentic piece of work has got soul."—The New York Times Book Review

“Kristin Levine’s The Lions of Little Rock, the story of a black girl and a white girl who become friends during the integration of that city’s schools in 1958, has been awarded the New-York Historical Society’s first children’s history book prize.”—New-York Historical Society Children’s History Book Prize Award

“A story of friendship between two girls in the civil-rights-era South.”—The New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Award

* “The remarkable story of the Little Rock Nine is familiar to many, but what happened next? In this quietly powerful page-turner, Levine focuses her attention on the events that unfolded in Little Rock the year after the integration of the city’s public schools.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “With remarkable depth and clarity, Levine unflinchingly portrays racial tension in the 1950s Deep South. Reader will be moved by Marlee and Liz’s strong bonds and inspired by Marlee’s unwavering tenacity in the face of what seems like insurmountable adversity.”—School Library Journal, starred review

* “Successfully weaving historical events with a dynamic personal narrative, Levine (The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had) offers a riveting, frequently tense portrait of 1958 Little Rock, Ark., the tumultuous year when the governor refused integration by closing local high schools.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

I had two near-simultaneous thoughts upon closing Kristin Levine's latest novel…The first, as a reader, was simply, Ahhhhh. The second, as a writer, was of admiration. Creating a book that reads as though written in one effortless breath requires a rare talent…Marlee and Liz's love for each other, the lengths they are willing to go to fight back against the injustice of their plight, and the larger integration struggle playing out in Little Rock drive the book's story. Readers will root for a painfully shy girl to discover the depths of her own courage and find hope in the notion that even in tumultuous times, standing up for the people you love can't be wrong. Satisfying, gratifying, touching, weighty—this authentic piece of work has got soul.
—The New York Times Book Review

Tanya Lee Stone

Successfully weaving historical events with a dynamic personal narrative, Levine (The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had) offers a riveting, frequently tense portrait of 1958 Little Rock, Ark., the tumultuous year when the governor refused integration by closing local high schools. The story is told through the sensitive voice of painfully quiet 12-year-old Marlee Nisbett, who makes a rare friend in Liz, a new student at her middle school. Liz instills some much-needed confidence in Marlee, but when it’s revealed that Liz is “passing” as a white student, Liz must leave school abruptly, putting their friendship to the test. The girls meet in secret, and Marlee joins an antisegregationist organization, both actions inviting serious risk amid escalating racist threats. Levine’s characters fall on both sides of the integration issue, but she avoids painting them too broadly, and many of their views evolve over the course of the book. The best evolution, though, belongs to Marlee, who starts off almost pathologically shy and gradually learns to face her fears, find her voice, and speak up for what’s right. Ages 10–up. Agent: Kathryn Green Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

 "Creating a book that reads as though written in one effortless breath requires a rare talent...Readers will root for a painfully shy girl to discover the depths of her own courage and find hope in the notion that even in tumultuous times, standing up for the people you love can’t be wrong. Satisfying, gratifying, touching, weighty — this authentic piece of work has got soul." —The New York Times Book Review

The New York Times Book Review

Gr 5–8—In this stunning piece of historical fiction, Levine sheds light on the little-known period immediately following the Little Rock Nine's integration of Central High School in 1957. In September 1958, Governor Orval Faubus ordered the closure of all public high schools in the city. This novel depicts the tumultuous era through the eyes of 12-year-old Marlee Nisbett, who is painfully shy but eventually reclaims her voice by having the courage to do the right thing. On her first day at West Side Junior High, Marlee meets Liz, a new girl unafraid of speaking her mind. Emboldened by her friendship with Liz, Marlee begins talking and interacting more with her classmates. When Liz abruptly disappears amid rumors that she is a black girl—"Can you believe it….A nigger at our school?"—passing for white, Marlee is bereft but determined to uphold the friendship, at great cost to both girls' safety. In trying to sustain her relationship with Liz, Marlee ultimately realizes that there is a bigger cause at stake. With remarkable depth and clarity, Levine unflinchingly portrays racial tensions in the 1950s Deep South. Her descriptions of the Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC) and the Stop This Outrageous Purge (STOP) campaign further lend an air of historical authenticity to the book. Readers will be moved by Marlee and Liz's strong bonds and inspired by Marlee's unwavering tenacity in the face of what seems like insurmountable adversity.—Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

Kristin Levine paints Little Rock, Arkansas, through the eyes of 11-year-old Marlee Nisbitt, a white student who is in middle school the year after the renowned integration of Central High School. As the new school year unfolds, Marlee grapples with holding on to a new friend; missing her sister, who has been sent away for her high school education; and trying to understand the strong feelings of her parents and the citizens of Little Rock concerning integration. Julia Whelan gives an even-voiced and nonjudgmental narration. As Marlee, her voice is questioning, confident, and, at times, full of the foolhardiness of youth; as Marlee’s new friend, Liz, she sounds subtly yet consistently determined. Whelan also provides steely voices for the bullying Dalton brothers and a tight voice for Marlee’s anxious father. An interview with the author expands on the time period and her reasons for choosing the year after the integration of Central High for her novel. A.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2012 - AudioFile

Kristin Levine paints Little Rock, Arkansas, through the eyes of 11-year-old Marlee Nisbitt, a white student who is in middle school the year after the renowned integration of Central High School. As the new school year unfolds, Marlee grapples with holding on to a new friend; missing her sister, who has been sent away for her high school education; and trying to understand the strong feelings of her parents and the citizens of Little Rock concerning integration. Julia Whelan gives an even-voiced and nonjudgmental narration. As Marlee, her voice is questioning, confident, and, at times, full of the foolhardiness of youth; as Marlee’s new friend, Liz, she sounds subtly yet consistently determined. Whelan also provides steely voices for the bullying Dalton brothers and a tight voice for Marlee’s anxious father. An interview with the author expands on the time period and her reasons for choosing the year after the integration of Central High for her novel. A.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2012 - AudioFile

The remarkable story of the Little Rock Nine is familiar to many, but what happened next? In this quietly powerful page-turner, Levine focuses her attention on the events that unfolded in Little Rock the year after the integration of the city's public schools. Readers meet quiet, 12-year-old Marlee and her outgoing and warm-hearted best friend, Liz, who is instrumental in Marlee's burgeoning ability to speak her mind to anyone outside of her family. To Marlee's dismay, Liz suddenly vanishes from school, and the rumor is that she has been passing for white. Marlee initially feels betrayed by her friend, but her understanding of the complicated nature of race relations and politics matures. Levine sensitively portrays her process as she sorts out these feelings, finds a way to stay friends with Liz and becomes involves with the Womens' Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC) after the city shuts down all of its public schools to prevent integration. When Marlee's father, a schoolteacher, is fired because of his pro-integration stance, the entire family becomes involved in the Stop This Outrageous Purge (STOP) campaign in an attempt to have all of the teachers rehired and the public schools reopened. This engaging story, with its emphasis on the impact of friendship and on finding one's voice when it is most important to be heard, will no doubt appeal to a broad range of readers and inspire many interesting conversations. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews