Listening for Lions

by Gloria Whelan

book data

422 ratings, 3.98 average rating, 107 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		29%
4		42%
3		24%
2		2%
1		0%

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published

October 1st 2006 (first published 2005) by HarperTrophy

binding

Paperback, 208 pages

isbn

006058176X (isbn13: 9780060581763)

description

Historical fiction with a wicked twist.

Listening for Lions is a breathtaking story of tragedy, deception, and triumph against all odds. National Book

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08/27/08

Brandi Rae rated it:

bookshelves: juvenile-fiction

Read in August, 2008

Rachel loves her life in Africa, where her father runs a missionary hospital and her mother runs a local school. Unlike other British citizens in East Africa, particularly Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard and their daughter Valerie, her family lives simply with the Kikuyu and the Masai tribes, respecting their traditions, holding church services and training them to work in the hospital.

Her peaceful life is shattered when both her parents, as well as Valerie Pritchard, die from an outbreak of...more Rachel loves her life in Africa, where her father runs a missionary hospital and her mother runs a local school. Unlike other British citizens in East Africa, particularly Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard and their daughter Valerie, her family lives simply with the Kikuyu and the Masai tribes, respecting their traditions, holding church services and training them to work in the hospital.

Her peaceful life is shattered when both her parents, as well as Valerie Pritchard, die from an outbreak of influenza, forcing her to move in with the Pritchards. Rachel assumes that the mission will send for her, and she will be sent to an orphanage in England. The Pritchards have other ideas though. Noticing Rachel and Valerie’s similarity in age and hair color, they decide that Rachel shall pose as Valerie and return to England. Once there, she is to recapture the good graces (and money) of Valerie’s ailing grandfather, allowing the Pritchard’s to return from Africa to England.

Mrs. Pritchard pulled her chair closer to me and began to speak in what she must have thought was a kindly tone, but which sounded false in my ears. “Rachel, my dear, you have it in your power to do a great kindness to an elderly gentleman. More than a great kindness. It would not be an exaggeration to say you could save an old man’s life.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I think it would be wrong.”

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Pritchard said. “It is your Christian duty. If you could save the poor man and you chose not to, it would be as bad as murder.”

Rachel knows that it would be wrong to deceive the elderly man, but she seeing no other option, agrees to go to England. Will she be discovered as an imposter right away? Or will she trick grandfather and give the Pritchards exactly what they want?

From the exotic locale of Africa, to the harsh winters of England, Listening for Lions follows a young girl’s journey into adulthood as she struggles to regain control of her life and do what she knows is right.

Despite being a little slow, and having a girl as the main character, this was a book that even the fifth grade boys in my book club really enjoyed.
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07/23/08

Dawn rated it:

bookshelves: 2008-ya-lit

Read in July, 2008

I absolutely loved the first two thirds of this book. It received the National Book Award, and I can see why. I kept thinking "this is a book I wish I could write!" Whelan's prose is lovely and her imagery is precise and perfect. I love the way she uses imagery to tie landscape and characters together--wonderful. The book is taut with suspense, the heroine engaging and morally sensitive, and her dilemma is real for a child. She tries so hard to do what is right! I also agree with a com...more

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11/11/08

Jenny rated it:

Read in November, 2008

I have gotten into Youth Fiction lately and my friend Kim who is a children's librarian recommended this one to me. Becuase of the age level it is a quick read.

I really loved this book. It is inspiring and makes you feel good to see this young girl struggling on her own but making good choices becuase she has been taught by good parents. Ive never been to Africa but have a couple of friends that have lived there so I can understand a little of the passion and love she feels for Afri...more

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03/13/09

kaysootee rated it:

bookshelves: 1900s, 2008-caudill-nominees, england, foreign-aid, gutsy-girls, historical-fiction, juvenile-fiction, kenya, realistic

Read in January, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Rachel Sheridan was born and raised in Kenya. Her missionary parents run the hospital and school at Tumaini. A bout of influenza takes their lives as well as the life of Valerie Pritchard – the daughter of a neighboring family who shares Rachel’s red hair and her age. The Pritchards take Rachel in when they learn about the death of her parents, but not out of the goodness of their hearts. They convince Rachel to impersonate Valerie. She is sent to England to cajole her grandfather into ...more

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04/01/09

Rebecca rated it:

bookshelves: arc, signed-by-author

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Rachel Sheridan was born and raised in British East Africa, the daughter of British missionary parents who ran a hospital there. Africa is the only home Rachel has ever known, and she loves it. But everything changes in 1919, when Rachel is thirteen. An influenza epidemic arrives and takes the lives of her parents. Because her parents were orphans, Rachel has no family to turn to, and is caught up in the devious plans of their wealthy neighbors, the Pritchards.

The Pritchards lost th...more

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05/06/09

Ms. rated it:

bookshelves: sami-c-

Read in April, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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03/18/08

Kristine rated it:

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: anyone

I picked this up at the library - it's a nominee for the national book award. I loved the setting and the stories of Africa -- I loved how the author showed women can be strong, even at a young age. Really it was about loss and tragedy. It has really good lessons about service and greed, but I don't think it was preachy about them. I like all the references to Dickens -- because it was kind of Dickens in its own way.

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10/22/08

Wendy rated it:

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Wendy by: Dawn

Appealing heroine, marvelous evocation of place, interesting plot--until the end. The final chapters are so rushed that the story feels disappointingly truncated, as if the author ran out of time or had some artificial length limitation (it's already a rather thin book!).

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

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02/14/09

Ernesto rated it:

Read in February, 2009

Homeless bird was a great story and after I read I felt like reading another book bye Gloria Whelan. So I read listening for lions. This book was as good as homeless bird because this story also has a great adventure. This story is about a girl named Rachel who lost her parents to an influenza epidemic in Africa. After she was parentless her neibor forced her to replace their dead daughter to send her to England. Their neibor’s were the Pitchard’s and their daughter who died was Valerie. The...more

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02/04/09

Jenny rated it:

bookshelves: historical, teen, teen-2009, teen-challenge

Read in February, 2009

It is 1918, and Rachel is the fourteen year old daughter of missionaries in Africa when the influenza epidemic hits. Suddenly, both her parents are dead, as well as the daughter of a neighboring plantation. Rachel is trapped into a scheme by the parents of the dead girl. Rachel is to impersonate the dead girl, Valerie, and go to England to live with a grandfather who is well off in order to get the money for the parents. Rachel is reluctant to participate, but she goes along to avoid the orp...more

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07/21/08

Cheryl rated it:

Read in December, 2007

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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06/10/09

Katie Hutchison Irion rated it:

Read in June, 2009

This, like the other Gloria Whelan books I've read, is beautifully written. It tells of a young girl in Africa who has to experience deceit, adventures, and conflicting emotions after her parents succumb to the influenza after WWI.
I thought this book was very well written with beautiful passages and beautiful characters. I loved Rachel's desire for goodness and fierce personality. When I finished I was completely satisfied. I just thought this was a great read. Thanks Julie. You're...more

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01/28/09

Jailynn rated it:

I really loved this book, it is perfect for girls age 8 and up, and up. Made me want to go to Africa and England.
It also made me think alot about another book I read, just a while ago, A Primate's Memoir, made me want to read it again. Though I wouldn't recommend that one for kids.

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06/20/09

Lora rated it:

bookshelves: juvenile-fiction

Read in June, 2009

This was a fun book, and one I just happened to grab off the library shelf. Don't you love when you find a good one that way? It was really short-- I finished it in a few hours-- and I was hooked while I was reading it. My only disappointment (which I'm a little embarrassed to admit) is that the main character doesn't fall in love. Yes, I know I'm a sap. Other than that, I recommend it!

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04/17/09

Bethany rated it:

I really liked this story. It really got interesting a chapter or two in. The only thing I didn't like was that the author would skip periods of time right in the middle of a chapter. That seems weird to me. One paragraph she's a freshman in high school and the next paragraph she's a senior! I don't feel like any of the story was left out though, it still flowed well.

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04/13/09

RachelAnne rated it:

bookshelves: historical, youngadult

Read in January, 2009

I loved the evocative descriptions of E. Africa and the intrigue of the double-life our orphaned heroine finds herself forced into. In many ways, this reminded me of Frances Hodgson Burnett stories like Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess, both in the orphan-from-the-colonies-comes-to-an-English-manor premise and in a certain purity of characters.

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04/19/09

Rebecca rated it:

I had never heard of this book before (found in the young adult section), but a librarian just came up to me and recommended it. (I've never had that happen before!) I was glad she did, because I really enjoyed it. What an interesting look into a different culture and a different time, with some valuable lessons to be learned along the way.

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03/13/09

Katie rated it:

Read in March, 2009

This was another YA novel I picked for a class. I liked it quite a bit. I find I often finish a book feeling a little like things got glossed over, but I think that's a personal problem and not a critique of the book. Of course there had to be a happy ending, but that's fine.

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06/30/09

Sarah rated it:

Read in June, 2009

I LOVED this book, but felt like it should have ended a little sooner. . .the story dragged on a little after about 3/4 of the way through. This book made me want to visit Africa and see all of the amazing things she describes there.

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05/23/09

Julie rated it:

Read in May, 2009

This YA book sucked me in quick. I loved the beautiful figurative language (you could practically taste Africa), the likeable heroine, and the interesting plot. It's a great book for girls. I'll be looking up more books by this author.

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