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The Lion Above the Door

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The Lion Above the Door by Onjali Q. Raúf

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By Onjali Q. Raúf

avg rating

76 reviews

’Ever since I can remember, people have stared at me and my family.

Dad tells me it’s because we’re ‘special’.

But if we’re so special, how come nobody ever looks like us in the books at school? Not even the books about world wars …’

As the only Singaporean boy not just in his school, but in the tiny English he calls home too, Leo witnesses – and feels – the impacts of racism every day. But on a class trip to a nearby cathedral, Leo’s attention is drawn to a marble slab high above the doors of the hall. Right there, bang in the middle of a list of WWII war heroes, Leo finds himself staring at something incredible: his own name.

Desperate to know who this other Leo was, and with Sangeeta asking why women are missing from the history books too, the two friends embark on an epic search.

One that will help uncover missing s/heroes from the past, who each deserve to take their rightful place in the pages of history.

Touching on themes of historical racisms and eradications, The Lion Above the Door shines a light on the millions of s/heroes still missing from our history books, and the power that lies in all of us to rectify past wrongs.

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.

Reviews

29 Jan 2024

Made me want to read more by the same author

28 Jan 2024

I would say this was better than all of the other books that I have read by this author and it was based in a area a I knew. I would recommend this for people who like an historical adventure in present day.

14 Jan 2024

This book is amazing! I love it! Onjali Q. Rauf's books are some of the best books I have ever read!! This book is about a girl and a boy who get bullied because they look different to everyone else. They are learning about World War 2 at school and found out about something they are not pleased about! I found just one problem with it, I couldn't put it down! It left me longing for more!!

19 Dec 2023

Very good , love it ! I love it because it was about a school trip and i love going on school trips

13 Dec 2023

i love Onjali Q. Rauf

10 Nov 2023

This book was excellent. I would recommend this book.

16 Sep 2023

It was cool

10 Sep 2023

Interesting with bold messages of equality and kindness.

05 Sep 2023

The author is an excellent writer; this book is mysterious and a really good read. I’d recommend it to children who are about 10 years old!

04 Sep 2023

It was very exciting and taught me a lot about what Africa and Asia did to help during the second world war.

03 Sep 2023

It was amazing

30 Aug 2023

It’s very good

30 Aug 2023

A fantastic fiction story by Onjali Rauf. It tells the story of a boy called Leo when on a school trip finds his surname on a memorial stone he then looks into the soldier to see if they could be related. It is a story that has history at its core and shows how ethnicity in war isn't talked about. A fantastic story for anyone interested in World War 2.

29 Aug 2023

it's a really good book but not much of my type. it's about how you shouldn't treat others diffrently because of how they look or dress or where there from because in the end were al really the same.

24 Aug 2023

I enjoyed the part where Leo found his name carved high above a door

22 Aug 2023

My favourite character is Olivia, because she loves drawing so do I!!!! I love how they change the school assembly a bit and Olivia strays from the plans and shows her different skin patches. It’s really witty and I and it’s also fun to read about how they are breaking to the flight machine and use it to get attention I really enjoy reading about their plans and I love how it’s all about remembrance out of all the books I’ve read so far, it was probably my favourite. I really recommend reading this book.

22 Aug 2023

The third one of Onjali Q. Rauf's books i've read and i've liked them all a lot.
My favourite character was Olivia because I think she is a lovely character and she draws all over herself.
My favourite part was when they did the assembly.
I am definetly going to read even more of her books!

15 Aug 2023

I loved it because it had in it facts about the war while it being entertaining

15 Aug 2023

Average storyline, too much speech & classic bullies. However, the rest is just good enough for me to recommend this. Just.

10 Aug 2023

Fascinating this book was really cool when they found the lineup of the door exactly with Leo's name on it

05 Aug 2023

I like Sangeeta the best.
I've only read to page 72 and I'm enjoying.
They went to a trip to learn about the world wars.
I extremely love the book and i would definitely recommend this book.

31 Jul 2023

It is about a boy called Leo who is from Singapore. It is about adventure, mystery and fantasy.

31 Jul 2023

Great book, it really makes you think about how life and how people are treated at schools.

My mum said she could relate to the main character Leo as she grew in a small town where she was the only brown person. She said she and her family felt similar to Leo and Sangeeta.

The book really made me think about how I should be with people at school.

31 Jul 2023

My favorite character was olivia. I would recommend it to someone else

25 Jul 2023

I liked all the mysteries and problem’s .I really enjoy it

22 Jul 2023

i Like this book because it is about the war and i find the war interesting

19 Jul 2023

It was amazing when he saw his name on the door

19 Jul 2023

Amazing

19 Jul 2023

This was the first ever big book i had read, and it was amazing i liked the boy he was a little bit silly when he went into a museum plane sily him

16 Jul 2023

It is an adventure book Will is my favorite character

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