Book Review: Listening for Lions - Highly Recommend

During the 2005-2006 school year, I read Gloria Whelan's Listening for Lions, and absolutely loved the book. I was working as an individual aide in a 5th grade classroom at my son's school. Bursting with excitement, I begged the teacher to allow me to share this book during read-aloud time. (As teacher, I would hesitate to give up that coveted task.) I have delightful memories of drawing those students into the spell of many outstanding books!

Gloria Whelan has won over 30 awards for her children's books, including the National Book Award for her novel, Homeless Bird. She is a gifted writer. I always relish a chance to share her books with others. A few months ago, I joined a historical fiction book group on Facebook. What fun to find opportunities to share this amazing book there. I realized I was long overdue to read it again.

Listening for Lions begins in 1919 British East Africa, where twelve-year-old Rachel Sheridan lives with her missionary parents. Her father is a doctor and her mother is a teacher. When the Spanish Influenza reaches their missionary hospital, it turns Rachel's life upside down. She loves Africa, but greedy neighbors use her as a pawn in a plot of deception that takes her far away to England. Though she wants to speak the truth, she also desires to help others. Throughout her time in England, she lives with a longing for her home in Africa.

I love the relationship between Rachel and the grandfather. They form a beautiful bond over bird-watching. Rachel's plight is intriguing and realistic. She longs for freedom, honesty, and purpose. Yet, all the while she is in bondage, she determines to live as the lion, eagerly awaiting her opportunity to pounce and claim her home.

This book has so many wonderful aspects. It speaks of the triumph of women when they had to strive to earn their due. It provides a vivid picture of the African bush and the British countryside. The characters often stand in stark contrast, wicked and greedy, set against the honorable and good. It nurtures in the reader a longing for truth, integrity, and righteousness. It has the feel of The Secret Garden, paired with the missionary spirit of Gladys Aylward's biography, The Small Woman. If I had a daughter, we would have read this aloud together many times over.

Gloria Whelan is one of my favorite middle grade authors. I've read several of her books (I apologize as I wrote these reviews when my boys were small and I had less time for editing). Listening for Lions is still my favorite of her books, but you might also wish to check out Fruitlands, That Wild Berries Should Grow, A Time to Keep Silent, and The Locked Garden. I even found several more available on Hoopla through my library (including Homeless Bird).