Historical fiction with a wicked twist.
Listening for Lions is a breathtaking story of tragedy, deception, and triumph against all odds. Nati... read full description
reviews
Aug 27, 2008
Brandi Rae
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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...
Her peaceful life is shattered when both her parents, as well as Valerie Pritchard, die from an outbreak of More...
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Jul 23, 2008
Dawn
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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
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Nov 11, 2008
Jenny
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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
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
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Mar 13, 2009
Barky
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 03, 2011
Brittany
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Gloria Whelan bases all of the books she writes on places she has been or places she would like to go. In "Listening for Lions" it talks about a girl who grows up in Africa where her parents were missionaries. The main character is Rachael Sheridan she helps her father who is a doctor as well as the pastor a the little church there, she helps him in the hospital. The author Gloria Whelan has actually been to Africa and bases this book off of what all she found and saw. I would def
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Apr 29, 2010
Sariah
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Our April book club pick. It's a youth book, and it had some great things going for it. I liked the first section and how much detail there was about Africa and the girl's time in Africa. However, I felt the subsequent sections were more of a summary of her life thereafter. You never got a lot of depth of character from anyone. It was mostly narration and very little dialogue. The third (last section) of the book covered something like 6 years, whereas the first section covered 2 weeks. The auth
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Sep 09, 2011
Gloria Whelan’s Listening for Lions is one of the best children’s books I’ve read in a while.
Whelan takes readers on an incredible journey in the tragic, yet heart-warming, coming- of-age story of a 13-year-old girl who is forced to make decisions that no child should ever have to consider.
Adding to an intriguing plot, are Whelan’s rich detailed descriptions of two very diverse cultures and countries. Set against the background of an impoverished African desert and a stuffy English a More...
Whelan takes readers on an incredible journey in the tragic, yet heart-warming, coming- of-age story of a 13-year-old girl who is forced to make decisions that no child should ever have to consider.
Adding to an intriguing plot, are Whelan’s rich detailed descriptions of two very diverse cultures and countries. Set against the background of an impoverished African desert and a stuffy English a More...
Jun 05, 2010
LaNaria
rated it: 
This is a beautiful book, and after reading so many disapointing florida sun shine books I am proud of this one. It teaches a lesson and is on reading level. That impressed me.
Summary:
Rachel's father is a missionary doctor stationed in africa. The mission payed for his school only because he agreed to serve in Africa. Her father does not regret this dicesion. Peacfully Rachel and her parents live in Africa. Rachel's family isn't like the other British whitemen living in the are More...
Summary:
Rachel's father is a missionary doctor stationed in africa. The mission payed for his school only because he agreed to serve in Africa. Her father does not regret this dicesion. Peacfully Rachel and her parents live in Africa. Rachel's family isn't like the other British whitemen living in the are More...
Apr 05, 2009
Rebecca
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 06, 2009
Ms.
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 18, 2008
Kristine
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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.
Oct 02, 2011
Amy
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1) Genre: Historical Fiction
2) In Africa, a young girl, Rachel Sheridan, is left behind as her parents and much of her town is killed by the flu. Her neighbors, with hidden evil intentions, take her away from Africa to England. Rachel finds herself stuck in this spiteful scheme and struggles to find out her true identity and purpose in life.
3) Critique:
a) The theme of determination is so powerful throughout this book.
b) Without giving too much of the More...
2) In Africa, a young girl, Rachel Sheridan, is left behind as her parents and much of her town is killed by the flu. Her neighbors, with hidden evil intentions, take her away from Africa to England. Rachel finds herself stuck in this spiteful scheme and struggles to find out her true identity and purpose in life.
3) Critique:
a) The theme of determination is so powerful throughout this book.
b) Without giving too much of the More...
Jul 06, 2010
Kathy
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A charming story... reminds me of some of the shirley temple movies, where little shirley is charming, falls on hard times, has people wanting to take advantage of her, but her good character connects her with the right people, and all comes out right at the end...
Rachel lives in Africa in the early 1900's... with her missionary doctor & teacher parents (who had been raised in an orphanage, and as adults were trained and sent out by the orphanage that raised them to work in the missi More...
Rachel lives in Africa in the early 1900's... with her missionary doctor & teacher parents (who had been raised in an orphanage, and as adults were trained and sent out by the orphanage that raised them to work in the missi More...
Nov 13, 2008
Wendy
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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!).
Mar 21, 2010
Taffy
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My daughter and I read this book for our library's mother/daughter book club. We read most of it together but as the time got closer she read it on her own with me catching up.
Rachel is a young girl who loves her parents and Africa. When tragedy strikes, she's thrust into a world of deception by adults who should have taken care of her instead of use her. She is sent from her beloved home and freedom to a London where it actually snows! She also finds someone who wants her to be happ More...
Rachel is a young girl who loves her parents and Africa. When tragedy strikes, she's thrust into a world of deception by adults who should have taken care of her instead of use her. She is sent from her beloved home and freedom to a London where it actually snows! She also finds someone who wants her to be happ More...
Oct 13, 2010
Jodi Z
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This was a winner. It was a fun change to read an adventurous book with a strong girl character. The tidbits about Africa--wildlife, culture, plants, etc--added much novelty. We enjoyed looking up the places on the map and getting a feel for what it might be like to live there. Particularly given our family's interest in birds, the ornithologist grandfather character was another fun aspect.
The contrast between the two girls provided much material for discussion, including the ide More...
The contrast between the two girls provided much material for discussion, including the ide More...
Feb 14, 2009
Ernesto
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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 Pit
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Feb 09, 2009
Jenny
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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
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Aug 17, 2010
Rebecca
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Left an orphan after the influenza epidemic in British East Africa in 1919, 13-year-old Rachel is tricked into assuming a deceased neighbor's identity to travel to England, where her only dream is to return to Africa and rebuild her parents' mission hospital.
This lovely, genteel book reminds me of The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea. A gentle read, good for kids who like character studies and mild adventures. Recommended. (I transfer More...
This lovely, genteel book reminds me of The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea. A gentle read, good for kids who like character studies and mild adventures. Recommended. (I transfer More...
May 10, 2011
Ingrid
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Rachel's parents are missionaries in Africa just after WWI. Rachel's wonderful life comes to an end when her parent's die in an influenza epidemic. Rachel's horrible neighbors involve her in a scheme to deceive Mr. Pritchard's wealthy father after their daughter also dies of influenza. Through this scheme she winds up living in England. She misses Africa terribly and has to stand up for herself to get back to the country she loves. I thought that the first two sections of the book were wonderfu
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Aug 04, 2011
Neill
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Rachel was the daughter of a missionary doctor and a teacher in a mission hospital in British East Africa. She loves Africa and the Kikuyu and Masai tribes with whom her father and mother worked. When an influenza epidemic takes her mother and father she finds herself impersonating the daughter of an estranged ne'er-do-well son who ships her back to his father so she can ingratiate herself and win a reprieve for the man and his wife. But Rachel's nature and the intelligence of the old man ens
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Sep 29, 2010
Hanna E.
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This book is a very good book. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to see history in the sound of books. I learned that back then the world was so diverse and sometimes was very rude about other races. I had my own personal connection because my grandfather went to Kenya (the setting right outside of Nairobi). I think if he were to read the book he would see how different the time was from then to now. Now, some teens have cell phones but don't have electricity in their home. Very we
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Dec 14, 2009
Megan
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What a refreshing read!
The story follows Rachel, daughter of missionary parents who run a hospital in Africa. Her life is simple and fulfilling until her parents die in a influenza outbreak (this is historical fiction set in the early 1900s). Left with no family and the prospect of being sent back to the orphanage that her parents were raised in (of which they told horror stories), she instead finds herself being entangled in the elaborate scheme of her greedy neighbors to take on t More...
The story follows Rachel, daughter of missionary parents who run a hospital in Africa. Her life is simple and fulfilling until her parents die in a influenza outbreak (this is historical fiction set in the early 1900s). Left with no family and the prospect of being sent back to the orphanage that her parents were raised in (of which they told horror stories), she instead finds herself being entangled in the elaborate scheme of her greedy neighbors to take on t More...
Jul 21, 2008
Cheryl
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 21, 2010
Christian
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I read this book for two reasons: Brett Helquist did the cover art, and the story is about Africa. Unfortunately, Africa was more vivid in the second half of the book, when Rachel dreamed about it from her grandfather's English estate, than it was when she was actually there.
The author, Gloria Whelan, based most of her descriptions of Kenya on interviews with a missionary friend, which might have had something to do with Rachel's distance from her homeland being more real than her presence More...
The author, Gloria Whelan, based most of her descriptions of Kenya on interviews with a missionary friend, which might have had something to do with Rachel's distance from her homeland being more real than her presence More...
Jun 16, 2009
Katie
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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...
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...
Dec 29, 2009
Gphatty
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Despite my instincts -- and the awful cover -- I really liked this book. It's a great orphan-makes-good story, with an interesting plot, and a very inspiring, hopeful message. I would hope that young girls would really take to the heroine -- a very plucky girl whose parents die early on in the story.
I commend the author for not using many predictable elements in her story, and, in particular, for avoiding a potentially typical 3rd-world is better than the civilized world theme.
I commend the author for not using many predictable elements in her story, and, in particular, for avoiding a potentially typical 3rd-world is better than the civilized world theme.
Jan 28, 2009
Jailynn
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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.
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.
Sep 25, 2011
Lisa
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A great children's book about a girl raised in Africa by her missionary parents. After a tragedy she finds herself in England. It could have been easily extended into an awesome novel for young adults. It ended too abruptly for me as several years of her life passed by in a few pages and the book ended when she had really just begun her life at 24.
I really enjoyed the story and the author's writing style!
I really enjoyed the story and the author's writing style!
Jun 20, 2009
Lora Leigh
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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!
