Reviews

The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going

crabbygirl's review against another edition

2.0

[guessing at the star rating / mining my old FB notes now that they are almost impossible to find]

a gentle introduction for young readers to america's post civil rights era where the klan still exists, but it's grotesque actions aren't detailed. the main story revolves around 2 fifth graders and their lists of fears that they plan to conquer in one summer. too mild for my liking.

tschmitty's review against another edition

4.0

This was a wonderful story about two childhood friends learning to face their fears in Georgia circa 1976. I loved that this one took place during my childhood. Gabe and Frita were a dynamic duo.

abigailbat's review against another edition

4.0

Fourth grader Gabriel King has decided that he's not going to the fifth grade. It's too scary. So his best friend Frita comes up with the idea of writing down everything they're afraid of and using the summer of 1976 to face every single fear on their list so that they'll be braver. Gabe's list is quite long. But when he finds something that Frita truly fears in their town, he knows he'll have to be brave so he can stand beside her and help her fight it.

This book was an unexpected joy to me. It started off as a goofy summer friendship story, but soon delves into more serious topics, namely race relations in 1970s small-town Georgia. It does this with aplomb, and I liked the serious bits just as much as the funny bits. This is fairly painless historical fiction, though some topics might do better with a bit of scaffolding. Highly recommended.

frogqueen's review against another edition

hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

• cute story about the friendship between a white boy and a black girl in recently-integrated georgia
• they challenge each other to face their fears in order to become braver so they wind up doing things like catching bugs and
  standing up to local kkk members!
• anyway some surprisingly frank and well done conversations about race in here, i never cease to be amazed at how relevant this shit continues to be

kristanotske's review against another edition

3.0

Fears are there to be conquered. (Teacher read it to us)

dlew's review against another edition

4.0

great book to teach kids to overcome their fears

theme - takes place in the decade you were born

funsized327's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

corncobwebs's review against another edition

3.0

I read this one because I liked "Fat Kid Rules the World" so much. But this one - not so much. I'm not really sure why - maybe because I was expecting something a little edgier, a little funnier. I think it was edgy in that it deals with KKK activity - that's pretty heavy for a children's book. But the writing and the characters seemed to miss the spark that they had in Going's first book. Maybe she's just more adept at writing for teens, where it's OK to be irreverent and throw around some bad words. My recommendation: Skip this one, and go for "Fat Kid Rules the World," or try her new one for teens, "King of the Screwups," which I haven't read yet but has gotten good reviews.

erindels's review against another edition

3.0

Important topic. Wanted it to be deeper.

sofie_puzzlemaster5000's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75