Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
Who would like this book? Teens who like historical fiction and are interested in Africa, medicine, and questions of identity. If you like birds and the natural world, you’ll also appreciate this book.
Why? It’s 1919 in British East Africa, and 13-year-old Rachel Sheridan is helping her parents in the missionary hospital founded and operated by her father. When they die in an influenza epidemic, Rachel falls into the greedy clutches of the Pritchards, their well-to-do manipulative neighbors. Their manipulation of her turns out to have unexpected consequences for all of them. The novel is divided into three books that represent the three distinct passages in Rachel’s life: Rachel Sheridan, Valerie Pritchard, and Rachel Pritchard. What would you do if two adults forced you to impersonate their dead daughter?
The details: 194 p. 2005; YRCA nominee 2008, Junior Division