a good book.

The Lions of Little Rock
Author: Kristin Levine
Pages: 298
Age Range: 9-12
Published: 2012
Genre: Historical Fiction
Cover Score: ***  (the image on the left isn't the same as the cover I had, but I like this one even less, it's far too generic)
Overall Score: *****
Rating: PG (violence, intense situations)

Marlee's world is changing. Her older brother is off to college, her sister is being shipped off to their grandmother's because the high schools are all closed in protest of integration and she's not sure she’ll be able to handle things on her own. She's basically a selective mute speaking only to her family (mostly her sister) and providing one word answers at school when forced. And then Elizabeth shows up. Liz has a way of pulling the words out of Marlee and making her do things she never thought possible. But when it's discovered that Liz is actually a light-skinned Negro their friendship becomes forbidden. Their world is volatile and the racial tensions in the city are real and life threatening.

When Liz goes back to her school she enlists Marlee to help her learn to be quiet and ignore the comments and slams she receives. The girls sneak around in an effort to see each other and call each other on the phone using fake names. Their efforts lead to more and more trouble until it escalates into an older white boy’s violent actions against Liz’s family and neighbors. But the girls won’t be deterred.

Listening to the lions in the nearby Little Rock zoo roar each night Marlee bolsters her courage (much as the lion in the Wizard of Oz, a movie the girls see together, does as well.) She decides to do what she can to keep the first friend she’s ever had.

Marlee and Liz deal with realistic portrayals of racism, ignorance and bigotry even from members of their own families. There’s a lot of history here with some background information on the NAACP, Emmitt Till, John Carter, the KKK, the Little Rock Nine, lynchings, bombings and more. There’s enough info given to explain the gravity of the situation without dwelling on it all, as befits the target audience.

Marlee is a fantastic character with a great voice and insight into the people around her. Because so much of her dialogue (at least at the beginning of the book) is internal we see her growth and evolution in a very direct way through her thoughts but also the words she chooses to say aloud and those she chooses to say them to.

Here’s a sampling:
You see, to me, people are like things you drink. Some are like a pot of black coffee, no cream, no sugar. They make me so nervous I start to tremble. Others calm me down enough that I can sort through the words in my head and find something to say.

My brother, David, is a glass of sweet iced tea on a hot summer day, when you’ve put your feet up in a hammock and haven’t got a care in the world… (pg 5)

Each new person she comes to interact with is labeled in this way; bubbly sodas, wholesome milk, shots of whiskey. Eventually it all leads to this conclusion near the end of the book:

Summing people up as a cola or a coffee wasn’t really fair. Most people were a whole refrigerator full of different drinks. Trying to force them into one cup or one glass meant I never really got to know them. (pg 271)

Not only does little Marlee find her voice but through her influence the people around her find their voices as well and slowly change begins to come. This is a quietly powerful fictionalization of 'the lost year,' 1958 (the year following the events of the Little Rock Nine) and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in history, the Civil Rights movement, equality or just plain great stories.

Happiness is...a good book (Summer Reading edition #32)

Gilt
Author: Katherine Longshore
Published: 2012
Pages: 404
Age Range: 14+
Genre: Historical Fiction
Cover Score: * (it’s pretty but rather generic and has no direct connection to what goes on in the story)
Overall Score: ***
Rating: PG-13
 
First Sentence: You’re not going to steal anything.

This it the fictionalized story of Catherine Howard’s rise and fall from Henry VIII’s graces and the throne as told through the eyes of her best friend Katherine Tylney.

Abandoned by her family when she is 8 and given to the household of the Duchess of Norfolk (Catherine’s step-grandmother) she is pitied by Cat and taken under her wing. And she’s never given a chance to look back. Knowing that she is nothing and has nothing she bows to Cat’s whims, lies for her, covers for her, does anything that is asked of her in order to keep her favor. Together they fantasize about one day living at court, wearing fine clothes and having any man they desire. Cat is serious while Kitty is just along for the ride, aware that she is too tall, too plain to ever have those kinds of chances. But when Cat catches the eye of Henry’s entourage and is taken to court she promises she’ll bring Kitty with her.

She eventually makes good on her promise and Kitty finds herself ensconced in lies and secrets, keeping Cat’s romantic dalliances and exploits from the king and falling into her old patterns of doing anything Cat wishes in order to keep her favor. But Cat doesn’t return the favor and when things don’t suit her needs she finds someone else to do her bidding and knows just how to hurt Kitty for spite.
Struck by the attention of two very different men Kitty finally begins to see the truth behind Cat’s actions and realizes she never makes her own decisions or thinks for herself but by now it’s too late. Or is it?

While Kitty is the main character the story is most often dominated by Cat. Kitty is a very weak character constantly overpowered by a much stronger one. We see Kitty’s turmoil emotionally but not until the end do we get to see her take a stand and make some choices on her own, though even then they are governed by her guilt and her conscience. Cat is calculating and manipulative to the very end. She’s petulant and childish, selfish and self-absorbed. Her lies and intrigues brought ruin to herself and those around her. The following dialogue gives you a perfect picture of her personality:

“Well, any gentleman you encounter will be. Impressed, that is.”
“But will the king?” she cried, exasperated. “I want him to look at me and to see that I’m different! That I’m not just another maid-in-waiting.”
“What do you want from him, Cat?” I asked. “He’s already getting married.”
“Whoever said I needed marriage?”
“Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that this whole act is so that you can be a mistress to the king? A fat, aging man with an ego the size of France and a temper the size of the Roman Empire?”
“I don’t know!” she huffed. “Maybe I just want someone to notice me!” (54)

Some of the dialogue felt too modern but it was consistent throughout and will most likely not be something noticed by its teen audience and it does flow a bit better when you remember that they were only teenagers at the time (early 20s at most, history disputes Catherine Howard’s birth date.) There is an author’s note with some of the facts and fictions distinguished where possible but it could use a bit more; a timeline or cast of characters perhaps?

There is a lot of discussion of sex, a rape scene and other violence against women but it is not graphic. Just know your audience before you hand it out! It’s a rather engrossing characterization of one of Henry’s ill-fated wives that helps bring history to life. Hand it to teens who want some drama but are through with the paranormal fantasies or want a change from modern-day realistic fiction.