Although, Onjali does highlight the racism and prejudice faced by ethnic soldiers during World War Two in her notes in the end. It would have been better had this been incorporated in the story. For example, Leo, Sangeets and Olivia decide to incorporate the racism faced by coloured soldiers during the assembly finale despite their teacher disapproving. 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? As the children embark on their research they find that there isn’t much written in the history books so they enlist the help of their families and relatives around the world. Leo and his best friend Sangeetha are the odd ones out in their school. In fact, they seem to be the odd ones out no matter where they go in their small town. But as Leo's dad is always telling him, it's only because he's extra-special, and Sangeetha is extra-extra-special. Only thing is, if they're so special, how come Leo never sees anyone who likes him in the history books he loves to read?

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? Rauf’s book, published by Orion, tells the story of Leo and his best friend Sangeeta who often feel like the odd ones out at school and in the small village they live in, where everyone else is white. That is until they go on a trip to a war museum where Leo sees his own name on a war memorial, starting him off on an amazing investigation that highlights some of the hidden history of World War Two and his own family. Onjali Q Rauf's loyal fanbase will be pleased to hear of a new novel. True to form, the Lion Above the Door explores important social issues while capturing voices from the younger generation in a most relatable manner.

I found the truth in (in my experience) why in school our curriculum of history is about Hitler and never about our own Asian histories, heroes and stories.

Leo has always wondered where his name comes from. Growing up in the small village of Whot, there isn’t much help for Leo to find out. However, on a school trip to a cathedral Leo uncovers his name emblazoned on the list of World War Two heroes. With his interest piqued, Leo begins a long journey to uncover his own history.

About Onjali Q. Raúf

As a teacher who teaches WWI and WWII every year, I will now completely change the way I change these and any other historical topic due to this book and the insight it has given me. The curiosity of Leo got him into a journey of learning more than just about forgotten heroes but racism, people's attitude towards history, family dynamic and understanding about himself too.

Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are the odd ones out in their school. But as Leo's dad is always telling him, it's because they're special. Only thing is, if they're so special, how come they never see anyone who looks like them in their school history books? Then, on a class trip to a nearby cathedral, Leo's attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall. Right there, bang in the middle of a list of war heroes, Leo finds himself staring at something incredible: his own name. When Leo and Sangeeta’s class begin a project about World War Two, Leo looks at pictures in books of the people that fought for Britain in the war and realises that none of them look like him, even though Sangeeta points out that many of the books also don’t include the experiences of many women – and certainly not women of colour. Included is everything that you need to teach 12 whole class reading sessions, based on the following texts: I felt that the museum staff calling all their parents and Mr.Scott sounded overwhelming for Leo only boarding the simulator when it was closed. I really would have like to see a chase scene in the museum with Leo and his friends and the museum staff. It would also have been great if Leo had added names to the wall to include forgotten heroes he felt had been censored. Two friends, Leo and Sangeeta often feel as though they don’t quite fit in at their village school and are subjected to the stares and jibes of their classmates. However, Leo’s Dad insists it is because they are special. When a class trip to a nearby cathedral leads Leo to notice his full name carved into a remembrance wall, things change and Leo wants to know more. Who is this person? Are they related? Why is his name next to a lion and what do the initials DCF mean? Excitement breaks out on their return as the class discover that the school has been chosen to take part in a TV Remembrance Day competition. Classmates put forward their ideas for a theme with Leo suggesting that they could investigate ‘ people who were in the war that no one else knows about’, secretly driven by his desire to research his namesake. The two friends become determined to explore the lost histories of the forgotten heroes who fought in World War Two and a series of adventures ensues as Leo makes a promise to himself that he will make ‘ everyone listen!’Although, I found the displays becoming vandalised to be a interesting turn of events. There wasn’t any punishment given to Catherine after confessing. Also, the fact that they didn’t win the “real kidz rule show” competition in the end was underwhelming. This was especially the case as it was constantly brought up through the entire story. Read Manchester’s city-wide Year 6 transition read is now underway! For a second year running, the award-winning author, Onjali Q Rauf has been chosen as the author and her brilliant book, The Lion Above the Door is being given to every year 6 pupil in Manchester. That’s 8,000 books for 144 primary schools! Seeing Leo and his loving family have conversation, being supportive and having their own identity was a big win for me.

Leo and his best friend Sangeeta often feel like the odd ones out at school and in the small village they live in, where everyone else is white. Leo certainly feels the stares at him and his family as they do the shopping and walk to school, and wonders why his dad never wants to make a fuss about the mean things the kids at school sometimes say. That's the problem with being the only ones who look different to everyone else. There's always someone who look different to everyone else. There's always someone who doesn't like you, and then doesn't like you even more when you can do something that they can't." Natasha Farrant’s The Girl Who Talked to Trees, in which ‘various species give up their secrets’ to a young girl. Illustration: Lydia Corry 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.

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But on a special class trip to a nearby cathedral one day, Leo's attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall, featuring a short list of names. Because right there, bang in the middle of the list, Leo finds himself staring at his own name...