Listening for Leroy

by Betsy Hearne

Having been home-schooled in 1950s rural Alabama, Alice is excited to make friends when her family moves to Tennessee, but it becomes harder than she expects because her parents believe in racial... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689822189
• ISBN13: 9780689822186
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Listening for Leroy

This book is about a girl named Alice who had a hard life. She lived in rural Alabama with her older brother, Ben and her parents. Her father is a doctor. She is enrolled in a home-schooling program and she has lonely because she has no friends. Leroy is her only friend, and he is African American. He tells her stories and plays the guitar. Her family soon moves to Tennessee so Ben and Alice could attend good public schools. There, she is worse off because the people don't believe in racial equality between African Americans and Whites, but she soon learns to cope with it and actually adjusts to life in the South.I relished this book a lot. This book teaches that when you move to different places, you have to adjust to the enviornment or you will not get along with everyone. Moving to a new house is hard to live with. Living with racism is difficult, too. It was a good thing that this white family helped a black family. By doing that, Alice and her family can turn racism around where everyone is equal among different races.My favorite part of the book was when Alice makes a new friend in Tennessee. Her friend's name was Ray. She began to play with Alice frequently, but she wouldn't say a word to her at school. Ray was a third grader and if they were seen playing together, they would both be teased. Suddenly, Ray couldn't play with Alice anymore. Ray's mom pulled them apart.