The Lions of Little Rock Summary
Kristin Levine

The Lions of Little Rock Overview

In her young adult novel The Lions of Little Rock, Kristin Levine tells the story of a special friendship between two young girls against the backdrop of heightening racial tensions and the controversy over school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas in the late 1950s. Marlee Nisbett, a painfully shy 12 year-old girl when the book opens in 1958, is thrilled when she meets a new girl, Liz, at school on her first day of seventh grade. But when Liz suddenly leaves school with no explanation, Marlee embarks on a journey to find out what happened and discovers an untapped vein of determination and bravery within herself. This coming-of-age story deals with the themes of racism, social justice, racial equality, politics, and fear, using historical events to lend a realistic feel to the plot.