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A review by sandraagee
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
4.0
Levine's second novel is just as good as, perhaps even better than her first ([b:The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had|4570908|The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had|Kristin Levine|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255890624s/4570908.jpg|4620259]). Again she's dealing with racial tensions and an unlikely friendship that crosses racial lines, this time set in Little Rock during the process of school integration during the 1958-1959 school year.
While this is a better effort on the part of Levine's publishers than the last book, the cover art still leaves much to be desired. As a result I'm not going to be able to get many/any kids to pick this one up without having to sell it first, which is really unfortunate because it's such an absorbing story and so well-written. The book is clearly very well-researched and I was facinated to read about this somewhat neglected part of the Little Rock story. As a piece of historical fiction this book just blows my mind.
The characters are plenty likable. Supporting character were a tad one-dimensional (the only thing preventing a 5-star rating), but developed just enough to mesh well with each other while allowing readers to become fully absorbed in the setting and the circumstances of the time/place.
While this is a better effort on the part of Levine's publishers than the last book, the cover art still leaves much to be desired. As a result I'm not going to be able to get many/any kids to pick this one up without having to sell it first, which is really unfortunate because it's such an absorbing story and so well-written. The book is clearly very well-researched and I was facinated to read about this somewhat neglected part of the Little Rock story. As a piece of historical fiction this book just blows my mind.
The characters are plenty likable. Supporting character were a tad one-dimensional (the only thing preventing a 5-star rating), but developed just enough to mesh well with each other while allowing readers to become fully absorbed in the setting and the circumstances of the time/place.