Lions to the Rescue!

Tree Street Kids #3

by Amanda Cleary Eastep

Book Three in the Tree Street Kids Series

If getting tackled is the best way to make new friends, that’s okay with Jack. After all, starting fifth grade at a new school is even rougher than pee wee football. But how can he join the Lions and help Ellison build the Most Epic Bookmobile Bike Ever? Jack devises the perfect game plan–until he fumbles it with the most epic bike crash ever and a game day disaster.

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 5, 2022

About the author

Amanda Cleary Eastep is not related to Beverly Cleary but wishes she were. She is, however, a children's writer, and the Tree Street Kids is her debut series. Amanda knows kids because she's still one at heart. When she is forced to act like an adult, she edits nonfiction books by grownup authors.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars ✨ Christian Fiction - Middle-Grade


About this book:

“If getting tackled is the best way to make new friends, that’s okay with Jack. After all, starting fifth grade at a new school is even rougher than pee wee football. But how can he join the Lions and help Ellison build the Most Epic Bookmobile Bike Ever? Jack devises the perfect game plan–until he fumbles it with the most epic bike crash ever and a game day disaster.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Tree Street Kids” series. Review of Book #1, Here! and Book #2, Here!


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are quoted, read, & mentioned; A few Prayers; A few talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Jack and his sister are starting the year at their new, Christian school; Jack hasn’t prayed about joining the football team because he “figured God was like [his] dad—a Chicago Bears football fan. So why wouldn’t He root for the Lions too?”; Jack can talk to God in his head, but when he has to say a prayer out loud, it makes him feel itchy (but prays out loud for an event anyway); One of Jack’s friends doesn’t know a lot about praying and says “over and out” instead of “Amen”; Jack knows that his dad saying “The Lord will provide” is what parents say when they don’t want a kid to worry, but knows his dad trusts God, so he will too; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches & church going; A few mentions of a colportage (someone who sold religious books door-to-door); A mention of a missionary; A mention of God using a book of poetry to change someone’s life; A mention of morning chapel at a Christian school; A mention of God shining a ray of sunshine on the bookmobile bike (which Jack thinks it’s like God had chosen it for a great mission); A mention of a picture (of a great idea) having a light on it like it was shone down from Heaven & an angel maybe singing then too;
*Note: A boy calls his mother “Mothership” as her code name over walk-talkies (thrice); A couple mentions of a book about dinosaurs.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A ‘buzzkill’ (Midge to Jack), a ‘crummy’, a ‘dumb’, a ‘holy moly’, a ‘sheesh’, and an unfinished ‘what—the—?’; A bit of eye rolling; Jack tries to give his parents warning when he walks into a room so he doesn’t eavesdrop (though he still hears some of their conversation and it worries him); Pain, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Jack is taunted and chased by the neighborhood bully who tries to run him off the road (Jack is injured by this); Jack and the others try to make a deal with the bully, but the bully implies he wants Jack’s dog (which Jack is firm about not doing after seeing the bully yell at his own dog); Jack doesn’t want to disobey a referee in a game who tells him to stay back, but he is concerned about a friend; Mentions of pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of a bully (including Ellison saying that their neighborhood bully just needs to read the right book because books can change people, but Ruthie says the bully would need a library full of books to change him); A couple mentions of a bomb shelter; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of pig bladders used as a football a long time ago; A mention of an accident that killed a young girl’s parents; A mention of World War I; A mention of war; A mention of skull and crossbones on a map (representing a bully);
*Note: Jack is embarrassed by his mom licking her hand and putting it to his hair in front of the school bus; Jack has a couple of moments of missing his old home and friends; Jack yells at Midge to stay out of his room and stop touching his stuff (once); Jack later teases Midge about her being like a barnacle stuck to a whale when she wants to tag along with him wherever he goes; Jack is disappointed by not having a new friend to himself, but his mom says that you “make friends by being a good friend”; When playing touch football, Midge asks if they are all going to “bust some heads”; Ellison thinks a neighbor doesn’t like him because he’s black & the woman yells at him to stay off of her property (which Jack says is wrong of her to do, but Ellison says it happens a lot and it’s a lot harder when people “look at you like you did something wrong. Or don’t even look at you at all”; The woman yelling at Ellison hurts him and he isn’t the same for a week); *Spoiler* At the end, the woman comes up to Jack and Ellison and says about borrowing books from them *End of Spoiler*; Ellison shares about a book (‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry’) and how the main character’s family goes through racism (explaining to Midge that racism is “when one person treats another person badly or unfairly because they’re a different color or race”); Ellison wants to share books with others for them to understand him and others; Ellison plans to talk about why it’s important to read books by black authors as well in a speech; Jack doesn’t know how all moms “no matter their name, color, or hairdo” are able to give a kid the same look); There are book recommendations throughout the book & mentioned (‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry’ by Mildred D. Taylor, ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’ by Frederick Douglass, ‘The Watsons Go to Birmingham’ by Christopher Paul Curtis, ‘The Jungle Book’ by Rudyard Kipling, ‘The Friendship’ by Mildred D. Taylor, ‘My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me’ by Maya Angelou, ‘A Light in the Attic’ by Shel Silverstein, ‘Charlotte’s Web’ by E.B. White, ‘The Narrative of Truth’ by Sojourner Truth, and a few more (there is the note that not all of the books are for children and to talk with a parent about reading them); Other books that are mentioned and quoted from, but not given as a recommended are Shakespeare, ‘Treasure Island’, ‘Matilda’, ‘The Joy of Cooking’, ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ by John Bunyan, ‘Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun’, ‘White Fang’, and ‘Selected Poems’ by Gwendolyn Brooks; Mentions of brand names & pop culture references (Nickelodeon Time Blaster clock, Chutes and Ladders, Nerf, Beanie Baby, Big Wheels, & Gatorade); Mentions of movies, TV shows, & fictional characters (101 Dalmatians, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, Superman, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz characters, & Robin Hood); Mentions of sport teams & a player (Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, & William Perry); A few mentions of Arthuro Schomburg and how he was told there were “no history, no heroes” of people of his race, so he set out to read all about them; A couple mentions of the Newberry Medal; A mention of Narnia; A mention of Disney World; A mention of Dunkin’ Donuts; A mention of Blockbuster video store; A mention of Wishbone the dog; A mention of a shark named Jaws; A mention of Midge telling Jack that because he uses “fancy man deodorant now” he doesn’t stink.


Sexual Content-N/A.

-Jack Finch, age 10
P.O.V. of Jack
Set in 1995
192 pages

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Pre Teens- Four Stars
New Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)

I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again more this series is over, but this book (like the prior two books) had such a childhood nostalgic feeling to it! Between the bike riding, friend groups, and doing a parade in their neighborhood, it felt like a very suburbs vibe and was so much fun!

It should be noted that I can’t stand football, but I even enjoyed those parts of this book, which should tell you a lot!

Midge steals the show in each one of these books and I just love her 😂 She reminds me of a cross between Constance from “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and D.W. from the TV show, Arthur, but way less sassy and much more well-mannered than those two.

This book had a little about facing racism and Jack’s best friend being black, but I thought it was done well and sincerely. We, unfortunately, see the bully Buzz again who I frankly don’t care for, but we have Jack learning some important lessons and learning to be a good friend—and a team player.


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...



*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. Opinions expressed are my own.

Happy Tree Street Tuesday! Today is release day for Lions to the Rescue and Mystery at Crooked Tree Woods. I am delighted to recommend these excellent books for middle grade readers an I am happy to offer these latest releases, plus some fun freebies, as a giveaway. (Thanks to the author and publisher!) http://stephaniesninthsuitcase.com/20...

Scripture Connection

Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate…
Amos 5:15

Spiritual Themes

Jack attends a Christian school, so the adults on campus pray before classes and games. At the game, the coach doesn’t pray that the team will win, just that they’ll play their best. There’s a reference to a verse about friendship in Proverbs (18:24), quoted on a banner. Jack’s dad talks about how the Lord will provide, and about God working everything together for those who have been called according to His purpose (Rm. 8:28).

There’s also some content that affirms the importance of justice (like the Amos verse), which I discuss in depth in the “Representation” section.

What I Liked

This is definitely my favorite book in the series. In my review of book two, I talked about how I enjoyed getting to know the characters better, since first books need a lot of exposition. This is even more true in book three, as Jack’s relationships with the characters are even more solid, and the reader gets even more insight into the experiences of the side characters. And, like in book two, there are even more new characters.

School Story

I really enjoy school stories. Honestly, I’ll read school stories even when they aren’t very well done, but this is an example of a quality school story, with a bit more depth (like Andrew Clements’– what a great author! or even R.J. Palacio, although a bit lighter).

After reading two summertime stories, I was excited to join Jack for the beginning of the school year. Even though he’d been in the new community for two books, this felt like more of a “new kid” story, since Jack was unwilling to make friends in book one, and only now made an active effort to meet new people. I do like new kid stories, because they ‘re stories about people who feel like they’re on the outside, which is a universal experience for children and adults.

Characters

Jack and Ellison join a library club, which I really enjoyed, being a library professional, myself. I also really liked Mr. Simpson, the school librarian.

Ellison is now my favorite character, followed by Midge. I really relate to his preference for books over adventures. I enjoyed getting to know Ellison in a new way, this time, and it was SO NEAT to see how he advocated for literary representation in his neighborhood.

Midge continued to wow me with her scientific knowledge. I feel like she should be working in a laboratory, somewhere.

As with the other books, the characters contribute fun and educational tidbits of information. But this time, there were joint notecards. For example, we get “Ellison and Roger’s Bookish History,” and “Jack and Midge’s Science of Sports.”

Representation

As much as I enjoyed the storyline and narration, in general, my favorite part hands down was the REPRESENTATION theme. Ellison, an African American character, is an insatiable reader. During Lions to the Rescue, he reads Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, and declares it “the best book [he’s] ever read.” According to Jack, that’s something Ellison often says, but this time, he means it in a new way. “Stories like this help me understand where my family came from,” he explains.

The plot also illustrates how books like Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry can combat racism. And, at the end of the book, there’s an appendix, Ellison’s Unbeliebable Unlibrary Recommendations, with books Ellison would recommend, including various titles by black authors.

It is so refreshing to see this theme, not only in a Christian book, but in a Christian book for children. Cultural representation does matter, because our country is founded on oppression. Christian children need to read books that advocate for social justice, and I’m delighted to recommend a title that raises social justice questions in a gentle way, without the deplorable content you’ll find in many mainstream books, even for kids.

I’m also happy to see this theme in a book from Moody Publishers. One of my favorite childhood series (from Moody_ was published in the same time period this series is set. However, as I reread it, I realized that there’s some content, pertaining to different cultures, that I can’t uphold. So, I do want to commend Moody Publishers on this new title!

Illustrations

This is a chapter book, so there are just a few illustrations. However, I do want to note that these are great! I like the visuals of the characters– and of Midge’s zany costumes/outfits.

Content Notes

There’s one use of the phrase “Lord knows.”

Jack “jokes” that you can read, even if you can’t see.

Recommendation Status

Minor discretion for the above content, but this is a book I would highly recommend. I am so delighted to see a Christian children’s book that discusses the importance of representation in literature! The book is also a fun read, and I would recommend it for home, church, or school libraries.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack is getting ready to start a new school year at a new school, he wants to play football, but how can he do that and support his friend, Ellison's, library dreams.

The third in the Tree Street Kids Series, Jack and his family are finally starting to settle into their new home, but the start of the school year brings new challenges. I liked how this book does a great job of showing the difficulties of navigating the ins and outs of friendship, as well as racism in an age appropriate way.

Ellison's enthusiasm for reading is contagious, and I loved his passion for sharing his love of books with others, as well as exploring the lives of those who inspired him.

Overall, this was a great addition to this wholesome series about faith, and friendship. Jack had to learn about being considerate of his friend, and not just going for what he wanted for himself. I think that it will be fun to see what comes next!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Cover Lover Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lions to the Rescue is a stirring Christian middle school chapter book, and the 3rd book in the Tree Street Kids series. It centers on Jack and Ellison. They are best friends who decide to create a bookmobile from Ellison’s bike. But when conflicts arise, will their friendship survive?

Jack and Ellison are very different, in interests as well as other things. Jack enjoys playing sports, and Ellison is more of a book nerd. I really like their differences because the challenges hold the potential to make their friendship stronger.

I like stories that promote acceptance, tolerance, fairness, kindness, compassion, and Christian values, and this story does that very nicely. It deals with prejudice, bullying, and equality in a tender, meaningful ,and memorable way.

Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book.

[sincerely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book in the series focuses on sports, friendship, and racism. It's fine. We're listening to this whole series right now, and I have to be honest the MC kind of is awful. He's routinely just not a great example. I'm not sure if the underlying thought is that all kids struggle with dishonesty or favoritism or whatnot, but he just seems sort of like someone I wouldn't want my kids hanging out with 😭 not all kids keep things from their parents or try to exclude others...my kiddos are super sweet and it sort of bugs me to have committed to listening to these together because I have to stop and remind them that his behavior is really wrong. It doesn't come across that way in the story.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly good!

Just… what’s with all the racism?
Black kids deserve to be able to read kid books and JUST BE KIDS.
Absolutely, it’s important to talk about racism, slavery, segregation, and all such horrible things.
But dang!
It’s traumatizing when every single book they pick up is about traumatizing things.
How about we occasionally let Black kids just be kids instead of shoving more trauma down their throats all the time.

Ellison can’t catch a break.
He’s a black kid whose neighbor hates him because he’s black.
She screams at him to stay off her property and he “isn’t the same” for a week.

Ellison says racism and people hating him for the color of his skin “happens a lot” and “It’s a lot harder when people look at you like you did something wrong. Or don't even look at you at all.”

(Talking about “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry”)
"No, no, and no." Ellison sounded a little irritated. “There's history. My history."
Roger, our resident history buff, reached out for the book. He studied the back cover. "The story is about an African American girl named Cassie Logan growing up in Mississippi in 1933. Her family goes through terrible things because of racism."
"What's that again?" Midge asked.
"That's when one person treats another person badly or unfairly because they're a different color or race," Ellison explained.
Roger handed the book back to Ellison.
"Stories like this help me understand where my family came from," Ellison said.
"Your family's from Mississippi?" Midge asked.
Now I was starting to understand why he liked the book so much. "What Ellison means," I said, as the elevator jolted to a stop, "is knowing more about people like his ancestors helps him know more about himself."

Ellison preaches in a speech that we should all be reading more about racism.

Once again — Racism is evil, horrible, always was, is, and will be 100% WRONG and evil and horrible.

And black kids deserve better — they deserve to enjoy happy books without that horrible evil being shoved down their throats — black kids ARE CHILDREN who deserve CHILDHOODS.
Black kids deserve fun books!
Not more trauma

[Valerie Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite Tree Street Kids yet! Best friends Jack and Ellison are trying to navigate their different interests (Jack loves football and Ellison loves books) and doing pretty well at first. They have a great idea to create their own mobile library delivery service to help Ellison share his love of books and to build bridges among their neighbors.

Then a series of tensions and problems creates a strain on their friendship. After Ellison, who is African American, faces a heartbreaking run-in with a rude and prejudiced neighbor, the boys also have some honest talks about racism. In addition, Jack is dealing with his dad being laid off (but not telling his friend about it) and struggling to make friends on the school football team (while Ellison is making friends effortlessly). The friendship problems seem authentic and build in a realistic way, making it natural for kids to see themselves in the characters and really engage with the story.

I don’t want to give away the ending, so I’ll talk about a few things I love:

· Throughout the book there are fun facts in little call-out boxes. My kids love stuff like this, and the facts are interesting to me as well.
· Several of the characters have a Christian faith background that is sprinkled throughout in a non-preachy way. I love for my kids to see that represented in books.
· Ellison’s passion for books and for people to understand him better through books is awesome and can open a great discussion about why it’s so valuable to read books with main characters who have a variety of backgrounds and experiences.

My son read these when he was 10 and 11 and really enjoyed the series. His favorite part of this book is how it has lots of sports references! Highly recommend!

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series so much. They’re quick reads, & they’re wholesome, charming, & just full of so many great things for kids to be reading. This is the 3rd book, so can’t say a lot about the story itself, but as I’ve said these are Christian children’s fiction-but it still isn’t pushed in your face, so if that’s not something you like you should be fine. I love how it’s done. These are, also like I’ve mentioned before, set in the 90’s which is just so great. Simpler times for kids for sure, compared to now in my opinion. These also still have little blocks occasionally with history facts from Roger, Science facts from Midge, book facts from Ellison, etc. ..& I still love that so much. I’ve learned things every book that shock me, & I never knew before. Michigan triangle?? Wow. This 1 is just as full of incredible lessons/messages as well. This 1 touches on being a good friend, racism, books & how the right 1 can change people, & also how important for it is for every child to be able to have a book they can see themselves in, or learn about their own culture/history from. There’s a line in here I love that says, “…. books are our friends, how they help people understand others who are different from them, and how they teach us good lessons.” Very true. Books can be a way to bring people together, & understand each other sometimes. Books can do so much good. I think this series is a great 1 for kids, & I love these characters so much. This 1 is mainly focused on Jack & Ellison, & we meet some new friends as well. The very last page especially had me giving this a big book hug. Such a wonderful ending. Highly recommend. The 1st 4 books are out now. Starting the 4th today! BEAUTIFUL cover & illustrations sprinkled throughout by Aedan Peterson too.💜

[Jenny Marcelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lions to the Rescue! tackles the challenge of establishing new friendships after a move and learning to listen to others whose viewpoints and experiences differ from our own.

Brief overview:
Jack starts fifth grade at a new school after moving over the summer. Trying to juggle his current new friendship with the desire to make additional new friends, Jack ends up getting himself into a pickle.

Recommended age range: 8-12

Strengths:
- Eastep dives into how we can understand our friends from a different background.
- Captures the struggle Jack feels as he tries to settle into a new home after a move.
- Eastep weaves fun facts and great book quotes into the storyline in natural ways.
- Each character has a unique voice making it easier for readers to connect with the characters and track with the plot.

Additional Notes:
- This is book 3 in the Tree Street Kids series.
- Be sure to read the Acknowledgements at the end as it shares a tidbit about the inspiration for the bookmobile bike.

[Mindy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In book 3, Jack is starting a new school and wants to make more friends. To do this, he joins the Library Club (I loved all the wonderful literary recommendations) and the Football Club (I also loved the football focus). Jack and the neighborhood kids build a bicycle bookmobile out of Ellison's bike. Jack finds that friendships can be challenging, and he does something that really hurts his friend Ellison. The book shows how to resolve conflict in a healthy way.

In this series, I love how the friendship dilemmas that the characters deal with ring true to life.
The author has a way of weaving so many layers into the lines of her story. The humor and characterization are perfect for this age. I also love how faith in God is woven into the story in manner that is not preachy. Give this book (and series) a try, it will keep you turning those pages!

[Joy Schneck · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books have been such a joy to read aloud to my children (10 year old and 8 year old). We laugh often and I choked up quite a few times in this one. I am thankful for a series with realistic characters who have struggles that also highlight family and relationships in such a positive way. :) We can’t wait to read the next one.

[Julie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book three in the series. I appreciate the friendship challenges that the characters face, the tension of having two different interests, football and reading books. The theme of faith and Jesus are woven into the book without being overly in your face. The appendix at the end with book recommendations is great! This would make a great read aloud for elementary children or an independent read for kids. It does touch on some racism themes which might be difficult for really young readers.

I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review.