The Lion Above the Door

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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. This is a powerful novel exploring courage, friendship, historical/current racism and forgotten histories. As always with Rauf’s novels, her protagonists are interesting, determined and willing to learn. Some of the scenes are hilarious – the accidental setting off of the flight simulator incident is superb – and other scenes will make you cry (no spoilers, but red paint and family connections around the world are involved).

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....

As a teacher who teaches WWI and WWII every year, I will now completely change the way I change these and any other historical topic due to this book and the insight it has given me. The Lion Above the Door’s story covers themes about friendships, fitting in and family, and fits in with Read Manchester’s See Myself in Books campaign which champions representation in books. 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.

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? directorio de fundaciones volumen i fundaciones docentes de investigaci n y deportivas volumen ii fundaciones culturales On a school trip, which the bullies don't go on as they haven't returned their slip, he finds 'his' name above the door of a Cathedral on a memorial, and Sangeeta finds the name R Singh. This begins an adventure to find out about those that gave their lives for Britain and the allies during the war. They are joined in their quest by Olivia, who reveals that despite her white skin she is mixed race and her Dad family originate from Ghana and her Great Grandfather is one of those forgotten heroes. The fact that Olivia is not afraid of Toby and Catherine helps Leo and his friends.

Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are Year Four pupils at their primary school in southern England where they are also some of the only children of color. Their class is working on the topic of World War Two and both the children notice that none of the photographs in their history books are of people who look like them, nor do any of the heroes discussed there have similar names. However, on a field trip to Rochester Cathedral, Leo spots something incredible. Inside is a wall dedicated to soldiers from all over the former British Empire and included there is his exact name, along with many others – some sharing Sangeeta’s surname, Singh. 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 his best friend Sangeeta often feel like the odd ones out at school and in the small village they live in, where everyone else is white. Leo certainly feels the stares at him and his family as they do the shopping and walk to school, and wonders why his dad never wants to make a fuss about the mean things the kids at school sometimes say. Leo has always wondered where his name comes from. Growing up in the small village of Whot, there isn’t much help for Leo to find out. However, on a school trip to a cathedral Leo uncovers his name emblazoned on the list of World War Two heroes. With his interest piqued, Leo begins a long journey to uncover his own history.

I love it wasn't a stereotype of an oppress Asian family that books and movies always depicts of us. Leo and Sangeeta stand out from their class because of their skin colour and culture – and at times they are bullied because of this. Leo’s Dad says they need to be on their best behaviour at all times and he seems willing to tolerate the racism; the accumulated effect of prejudice leaves Leo feeling emotionally (and sometimes physically) bruised. On a class trip an RAF museum, Leo sees pictures of heroes like the ones in the history books – no one who looks like him. But on that same trip, he sees a commemoration stone of an RAF hero who had the exact same name as him –Leo Kai Lim. So begins the quest to find out more about this hero and others like him. The TV series Real Kidz Rule Remembrance Day competition seems exactly the right forum to tell these forgotten heroes’ stories. Although, I found the displays becoming vandalised to be a interesting turn of events. There wasn’t any punishment given to Catherine after confessing. Also, the fact that they didn’t win the “real kidz rule show” competition in the end was underwhelming. This was especially the case as it was constantly brought up through the entire story. 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?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? 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. Included is everything that you need to teach 12 whole class reading sessions, based on the following texts: 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. 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.