The Lions of Little Rock

By: Kristin Levine

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Everything’s changing for twelve-year-old Marlee. Her brother’s gone off to college and her sister’s moved out of the room they’ve shared since Marlee was born. To Marlee, it feels like her whole world’s falling apart.

On top of all that, she’s starting middle school and has to break in new teachers - teachers who don’t yet know Marlee doesn’t talk. At least not until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is she’s brave, brash and always knows the right thing to say, especially to the resident mean girl, Sally. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her fear of speaking. But when Liz leaves school without even a good-bye, the rumor is that Liz was really a colored girl 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.

©2011 Kristin Levine (P)2011 Listening Library

Critic 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)

“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)

“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)

I LOVE this book! Very Good! LOVE THIS BOOK! IT IS A VERY LOVELY BOOK!

I would recommend it to everyone! It is very good! Very Very Very VERY GOOD!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😋😋😋😋😋😋

Excellent Read

I truly enjoyed reading this book. The use of imagery and symbolism made the novel intriguing. This historical fiction is a wonderful read for anyone, especially young adults.

family enjoyed it on long road trip.

my family listened to this story on a long road trip and all enjoyed it. interesting story.

Really Heart Felt

If you are a shy person,this is a book that will have you so inspired

great

great history lesson told in a compelling way. excellent for kids and adults alike. recommend for ages 7 plus ...

Amazing

It was an amazing story, that kept my attention throughout the whole book. it was great.

I loved it so much. It made me cry once.

Loved it. it brought a different perspective in my life. I felt so sorry for them and it showed me how mean the were back then. I could read this book again and again and I wouldn't get bored of it.

eye opener to events afters little rock 9

it may be fictional but it certainly reads like a non-fiction. great book for discussions

So interesting

I was so amazed by the story that segregation seemed like a subplot or problem in the book any other characters would not be as good as this

Everything was amazing 🤩

I loved this it was like really good 😊 definitely recommend this book if you like historical fiction 😋✨✨✨✨✨