Listening for Lions

by Gloria Whelan

I loved this book. I have to confess my 6th grader did not. If you have a child interested in historical fiction circa 1919, Africa, or England, she might enjoy this book. So far my daughter has shown little interest in books set before modern times.

It does start out a little heavy with a local outbreak of the Spanish influenza pandemic. The devastating results and the numbers of people who died during that time period are covered briefly. Then it gets personal when this 14 year old young woman is orphaned by the disease.

She is courageous and maintains her moral standards in challenging situations as she struggles to adjust to many rapid changes in her life. After the initial hardships at the beginning of the book, many good things happen to her and it is fascinating to watch her blossom into young adulthood in post World War I England.

It is interesting to see Africa from the point of view of doctor/missionaries during this time period as well. This is a story of a young woman making her dreams come true in the face of daunting challenges and with the help of loving, like-minded friends.

Rating: 2 stars
Age Level: 10-12
Language: No inappropriate language
Violence: Early in the book there are examples of sickness and injury as well as influenza. Death from the Spanish influenza also plays a key role in the beginning of the book. It is presented in a manner appropriate for this age, however.
Sexuality: None
Maturity level: A mature 5th grader, or average 6th grade would be the youngest I would give this book to. Any child with strong fears of parents' death might struggle with the beginning of this book.

The Liberation of Gabriel King

by K.L. Going

This was such an awesome book, I couldn't just hand it over to my kids but forced them to let me read it to them! They loved it and tried to sneak it from me to finish on their own in their abundance of free time!

The book is set in 1972 and tells the story of a fourth grade boy named Gabriel and his best friend, Frita as they spend an unforgettable summer facing and overcoming their fears.

The book provides many topics for discussion including fears, bullies, racism, friendship, politics, human rights, goals/challenges, family support, and growing up.

My kids enjoyed the great humor as well. We had a few moments with tears running down our cheeks as we all laughed at some of the predicaments and funny perspectives of the children in the book.

Several important historical and political events are portrayed and/or discussed during this particular summer as well, including the bicentennial, Martin Luther King, Nixon and Watergate, and the presidential election between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.

For the grown ups it is a walk down memory lane, bringing to mind long summers in a different world with less TV and supervision, and more adventure and time spent outdoors.

Most of all I loved the final lesson of the book: that the greatest power with which we overcome fear is love. We see the true friendship and love that exists between these two characters and the power that this friendship has to change and improve their lives.

This book is an absolute must read for every family!

Rating: 4 stars!
Age range: 8-12
Language: No innappropiate language.
Violence: The main female character reminisces about a frightening night when the Ku Klux Klan camps outside her house. This is one of the reasons I chose to read the book to my children so that I could gauge how they were processing this portion of the book and be there to answer any questions. It is descriptive of a child's fears without going into great detail. I especially loved the way the little girl's fear of this night was addressed and worked through.
Sexuality: None.
Maturity level: A mature 8 year old or average 9 year old is the youngest I would read this book to.