The Lion Above the Door

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The month of Remembrance Day, Veterans Day, and Armistice Day felt like an appropriate one for Sophie to read The Lion Above the Door by Onjali Q. Raúf, a middle-grade novel that looks at not only how we remember past conflicts, but also who gets to be remembered. Leo and Sangeeta are the only two kids in their school who look like them and of course, there is a bully named Toby who never tires of going after Leo. He's kind of an Eddie Haskell character in that he acts sweet and innocent in front of teachers and parents, but all that changes in the school yard and sometimes in class. He makes fun of the Singaporean food Leo brings for lunch, pushes and shoves him and the morning of the school trip, Toby hits Leo hard several times with a tennis ball. As a bruise developed on his leg, Leo thinks about the bruise inside him that never seem to heal, getting hit over and over. Leo is convinced his inner bruise will only heal if "something big and unexpected and brilliant happened." But the chances of that happening were zero as far as he was concerned, after all, he and Sangeeta "were too different for brilliant things to ever happen to us. And the bruise knew it." (pg27)

Sophie absolutely loved The Lion Above the Door which handled the sensitive topic of race and racism in history perfectly. Leo experiences the impact of racism in many different ways – from direct name-calling by classmates to the missing chapters in a history book and to his own family’s attitude to those around them – and although this is hard to read, it is also eye-opening to see how the many micro-aggressions he encounters every day have formed what he calls an invisible bruise inside him. She also appreciated that not everything falls into place perfectly by the end, as can sometimes happen in middle-grade books. Not everyone learns the error of their ways by the end, just as they don’t in real life. The actual Leo’s story in the end is brief and not very detailed. It would have really been great if Leo was related to his hero and ends up being gifted with his medals in the finale. It would also have been nice if Leo found his diary entry where he discussed being left out because of his race, culture etc. I felt that the museum staff calling all their parents and Mr.Scott sounded overwhelming for Leo only boarding the simulator when it was closed. I really would have like to see a chase scene in the museum with Leo and his friends and the museum staff. It would also have been great if Leo had added names to the wall to include forgotten heroes he felt had been censored.I found the truth in (in my experience) why in school our curriculum of history is about Hitler and never about our own Asian histories, heroes and stories. The curiosity of Leo got him into a journey of learning more than just about forgotten heroes but racism, people's attitude towards history, family dynamic and understanding about himself too. Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are the odd ones out in their school. But as Leo's dad is always telling him, it's because they're special. Only thing is, if they're so special, how come they never see anyone who looks like them in their school history books? Then, on a class trip to a nearby cathedral, Leo's attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall. Right there, bang in the middle of a list of war heroes, Leo finds himself staring at something incredible: his own name. Leo vows to include his namesake’s story in the class project, one that has a chance to be shown on national TV, but no matter how hard he tries, he struggles to learn anything about the man. It seems as if all the men and women on the memorial war have been left out of the history books. He, Sangeeta, and a few allies come up with a cunning plan to make sure the heroes aren’t forgotten, but can they overcome red tape, family tensions, and other people determined to see them fail? I did like that Raúf allowed her characters to be flawed. For example, Leo had trouble with his dad's never standing up for himself or Leo until he learns why, and Mr. Scott is not always the most culturally sensitive person but he does learn to be more aware of it thanks to Leo and his project.

Onjali Q Rauf's loyal fanbase will be pleased to hear of a new novel. True to form, the Lion Above the Door explores important social issues while capturing voices from the younger generation in a most relatable manner. But on a special class trip to a nearby cathedral one day, Leo's attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall, featuring a short list of names. Because right there, bang in the middle of the list, Leo finds himself staring at his own name.... When Leo and Sangeeta go on a class trip to Rochester cathedral, Leo spots a name on one of the war memorials that is identical to his own. He begins to wonder about the “real” Leo - who he was and what he did during the war. When the class embark on a project following on from the trip, they decide to focus on the forgotten heroes of the war - which includes soldiers from Asia and Africa.Leo Kai Lim and his best friend Sangeeta Singh are both looking forward to their class trip to the RAF Museum and Rochester Cathedral (in Kent). They've been studying WWII in school and even though the two friends know that they are probably the only ones in their class who don't have a personal connection to anyone who fought in WWII, they are excited to see the planes on display. Leo's parents are from Singapore, and Sangreta is Indian descent. Leo and his best friend Sangeetha are the odd ones out in their school. In fact, they seem to be the odd ones out no matter where they go in their small town. But as Leo's dad is always telling him, it's only because he's extra-special, and Sangeetha is extra-extra-special. Only thing is, if they're so special, how come Leo never sees anyone who likes him in the history books he loves to read? Rauf’s book, published by Orion, tells the story of Leo and his best friend Sangeeta who often feel like the odd ones out at school and in the small village they live in, where everyone else is white. That is until they go on a trip to a war museum where Leo sees his own name on a war memorial, starting him off on an amazing investigation that highlights some of the hidden history of World War Two and his own family. The book would be perfect for upper KS2 children and the author richly describes her characters so much so that you can imagine them in the classroom, from Olivia who the class is in awe of due to her 'no mess' attitude, to Mr Scott, the classroom teacher who constantly thumps on the desk to emphasise his point.

Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are the odd ones out in their school. But as Leo’s dad is always telling him, it’s because they’re special. Only thing is, if they’re so special, how come they never see anyone who looks like them in their school history books? Then, on a class trip to a nearby cathedral, Leo's attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall. Right there, bang in the middle of a list of war heroes, Leo finds himself staring at something incredible: his own name. Seeing Leo and his loving family have conversation, being supportive and having their own identity was a big win for me. Another thought-provoking gem from the award winning author Onjali Rauf. Exploring themes of historical racism, The Lion Above the Door is a heart warming story of two friends and their quest to celebrate the forgotten World War Two soldiers. Gradually, answers are revealed in this epic spanning environmental insurrection in the icy north and a showdown on a tropical island where the Automators’ deadliest weapon is set to be unleashed. If rebel plots are familiar, Davies’s is fast-paced, lyrical and utterly convinced of an electromagnetic unity that runs through all living things.The Lion Above the Door centres around Leo and his best friend Sangeeta and events that take place in their school in a small village called Whot. Leo's class is studying WWII and on a school visit to a museum and a cathedral is where Leo notices his name (full name) above a memorial. It is this event where the story soon begins to unfold. It's Leo's relentless search to discover the origins of his name that brings the story to life. Children in Year 6 will be given the opportunity to read the story and take part in activities both at school and at home. It will be used by many high schools as part of their transition programme between primary and high school and gives pupils a shared experience, no matter which high school they go to in September. Pupils in Special Schools will also receive a copy of the book and an additional title – Super Duper Me by Sophie Henn. Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are the odd ones out in their school. But as Leo's dad is always telling him, it's because they're special. Only thing is, if they're so special, how come they never see anyone who looks like them in their school history books? A perfect read for children studying World War Two in primary school, The Lion Above the Door is another sensitive, thoughtful book from Onjali Q Rauf that highlights racism and bullying in children’s lives today, as well as the way that people of colour’s stories have often been ignored from history.

Touching on themes of historical racism, The Lion Above the Door shines a light on the stories our history books have yet to contain and the power of friendships that can last through generations. This novel will also make you think carefully about ignored heroes that students should be learning about. As a History & English teacher, I have a chance to transform the curriculum to eliminate cultural blind-spots, and to celebrate all contributions to our shared human experience.Although, Onjali does highlight the racism and prejudice faced by ethnic soldiers during World War Two in her notes in the end. It would have been better had this been incorporated in the story. For example, Leo, Sangeets and Olivia decide to incorporate the racism faced by coloured soldiers during the assembly finale despite their teacher disapproving. That said, I found Leo just not great as a main character. He doesn't seem to have any other interests apart from finding this Leo guy (does he not have any other hobbies?) but the thing that really made me almost dislike him was how negative he was about everyone he met. I'm not talking about his racist classmates, but he just has a very pessimistic view of everyone around him. His parents, his friends at school, his teachers, he would have a not-so-great interaction with them and then would immediately be down about them. He didn't question his dad, he didn't try to persuade any of his other classmates, he didn't try to tell his brother about his likes and dislikes. I wouldn't have minded if he had tried and failed, but he didn't even bother trying. I would have preferred to have Sangeeta as a main character because she looked like such fun. Overall, “the lion above the door” is a factually accurate novel detailing the importance of forgotten soldiers and their impact. It is very clear that Onjali put a lot of time, effort and work into researching historic records of World War Two for this novel. It can definitely be utilised in schools to educate students on the diverse soldiers who served in World War Two.