The Lion Above the Door

Product Information

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. The first edition of this book also contains a special collection of historical photos and stories of real life forgotten heroes from World War Two.

And because this is a Onjali Q. Raúf novel, there is one surprising turn of events when Olivia Morris, the coolest most popular girl in class offers to help Leo and one very zany episode when Leo and Sangeeta break into the RAF museum.Even though the story is suppose to highlight racism. I felt that Leo’s struggle to prove that he had a world war “hero” for Britain enforces the good immigrant notion placed on ethnic children. It would have been better had Leo’s ancestor been a army hero or inventor in Indonesia who’s achievements were ignored. Included is everything that you need to teach 12 whole class reading sessions, based on the following texts: As the children embark on their research they find that there isn’t much written in the history books so they enlist the help of their families and relatives around the world.

That's the problem with being the only ones who look different to everyone else. There's always someone who look different to everyone else. There's always someone who doesn't like you, and then doesn't like you even more when you can do something that they can't." 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.Two friends, Leo and Sangeeta often feel as though they don’t quite fit in at their village school and are subjected to the stares and jibes of their classmates. However, Leo’s Dad insists it is because they are special. When a class trip to a nearby cathedral leads Leo to notice his full name carved into a remembrance wall, things change and Leo wants to know more. Who is this person? Are they related? Why is his name next to a lion and what do the initials DCF mean? Excitement breaks out on their return as the class discover that the school has been chosen to take part in a TV Remembrance Day competition. Classmates put forward their ideas for a theme with Leo suggesting that they could investigate ‘ people who were in the war that no one else knows about’, secretly driven by his desire to research his namesake. The two friends become determined to explore the lost histories of the forgotten heroes who fought in World War Two and a series of adventures ensues as Leo makes a promise to himself that he will make ‘ everyone listen!’