Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine, is about a girl named Marlee who is afraid to speak. She lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. When Liz, the new girl, becomes her friend and works with her on a presentation, Liz decides they should do it orally and she helps Marlee overcome her fear. But the day of the presentation her teacher tells her that Liz will not be coming to school anymore. Marlee does her presentation but at lunch, she finds out Liz is African American. At home Marlee's sister, Judy has to leave because schools are shutting down. Once Judy leaves Marlee decides to try and talk to Liz and so she gives the Pastor of the colored (African American) church a note for her about magic squares book Liz had promised Marlee. Marlee and Liz meet at the zoo and Liz gives Marlee her number. When Marlee calls Liz can not meet her because she has to take her brother to the movies at the colored theater but Marlee decides to go too. At the movie, they decide to meet at the old quarry in town. One day while Liz and Marlee are there a boy from Marlee's school, J.T, and his brother, Red come and see Marlee. She walks away but trips over dynamite that Red decides to put in the back of his car.  Marlee and Liz can not meet anymore but the bump into each other at the zoo and they see reds car and the keys to the trunk. Marlee gets in and gets it out but when she realises she left some and she goes back but gets trapped in the trunk. She gets out with a letter opener and gets her brother to pick her up. Marlee proves to the police that Red did have dynamite and he gets in trouble. Liz and Marlee meet once more but they know they will still be friends, even if the can't see each other.

I think the theme of Lions of Little Rock is that skin color shouldn't determine friendship.  This is proved when Marlee's mother is talking about how Liz lied to everyone, "'A nice girl?" Mother interrupted.  "She lied to Marlee and everyone else in the school'"(71).  Also, when her father is talking with Marlee about how she and Liz can't be friends anymore, he says "'Marlee you can't still be friends with Liz'" (73).  Last of all, when Marlee is thinking about if she wants Liz as her friend,  "If you had asked me last summer if I wanted a negro for a friend, I would have said no thank you"(92). This is why the main theme of Lions of Little Rock is skin color should not determine friendship.  

The setting of Little Rock is important to the story because it takes place down south where most segregation occurred and where people didn't like African Americans. This is supported in the book when Marlee's father tells her, "'Do you remember when I invited that colored minister, Pastor George, to come speak at our church?' I nodded. 'The next day there was a note tucked in with our paper. It said, let your youngest walk to school tomorrow, she won't make it. And it was signed KKK'"(73). Also, the lions at the zoo show that Marlee was brave. This was proved when Marlee's mom was telling her dad, "Marlee listens to lions"(279).The school is important to the story because it is where everything started. When Little Rock schools close rather than desegregate, Marlee's older sister, her closest companion, leaves to attend school elsewhere. Marlee is left needing a friend and so becomes friends with Liz. This is why the setting is important.   

I would definitely recommend this book for seventh graders because it shows how being African American in the South was difficult.  It also has a good plot and never gets boring.  Levine does a great job portraying Marlee and Liz.  I think this book is one any could enjoy.