The Lion Above the Door

Product Information

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 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. But imagine the surprise Leo gets when he sees the name Leo Kai Lim DFC and a golden lion above it carved into the marble with other names of other soldiers who were WWII heroes. Stunned by this discovery, Leo promises to find out all he can about this soldier. Leo, a boy living in the UK but of Singaporean descent, cannot see anyone who looked like him when studying World War 2- all the names sound like British royalty, and he feels like his ancestry are lesser to his classmates. Until, he spots a name on the cathedral wall honouring the soldiers from WW2, and not just any name- his own name. Suddenly, Leo wants to know, who was this soldier, what is his story, and could he have been named after this Leo? The race is on, especially as his class have been chosen to prepare an assembly and display board which might even make it onto TV. Can he find out the information in time, to make everyone remember a forgotten hero?

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

Summary

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.

Seeing Leo and his loving family have conversation, being supportive and having their own identity was a big win for me. 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. 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.Going on a trip to a war museum, Leo envies his classmates that have stories to tell about their great-grandparents and family members who fought in the war. Yet, when he finds his own name on a war memorial, he is amazed. Who was this brave soldier, and is he related to Leo in any way? With Sangeeta’s help, Leo starts an amazing investigation that will highlight some of the hidden history of World War Two – and his own family. 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?