Little & Lion

by Brandy Colbert

Paperback, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

PZ7.C66998 L58 2017

Genres

Collections

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, Women-Loving-Women, People of Color Rep, Multi-Gender Attracted, Disabled Rep

Publication

New York ; Boston : Little, Brown and Company, 2017.

Description

"Suzette returns home to Los Angeles from boarding school and grapples with her bisexual identity when she and her brother Lionel fall in love with the same girl, pushing Lionel's bipolar disorder to spin out of control and forcing Suzette to confront her own demons"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member Carolesrandomlife

I really liked reading this book. It handled a lot of tough issues and it handled them very well. I went into this book rather blindly having never read anything by Brandy Colbert before and hadn't really seen any reviews for this book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this

book.

Some of the things that I liked about Little & Lion:

Great Characters - Suzette and her family were really wonderful characters. They have had a lot of things to deal with over the years. Suzette and Lionel have always been close until his mental illness pulls him away but she never stops being there for him. Suzette is really working through a lot of different issues in this book and trying to figure things out. Her

Diversity - This is a very diverse book. Suzette's family is made up of more than one race with Suzette and her mother being black while Lionel and his father are white. This book also includes characters trying to figure out their sexuality and others that consider themselves to be bisexual, homosexual, and heterosexual.

Dealing with Illness - I thought that this book did a fantastic job in dealing with Lionel's mental illness. At the start of the book, everything seems fine but as you get further in the story you start to realize how hard things have been for Lionel and his family. Emil has been dealing with a physical illness and we do get a chance to see how hard this has been for him to deal with as well. I thought that the author really portrayed these illness in a realistic manner.

Realistic Parents - In some ways, Suzette's mom and step-dad seemed a little too good to be true but by the end of the book they seemed very real to me. They are very involved in their children's life and are incredibly patient and supportive. They do get upset but they are able to deal with it and move forward. It was obvious that they didn't think that they had all the answers and really were willing to listen to their kids.

Making Me Feel a Range of Emotions - I reacted pretty strongly to some parts of this book. There was one scene when a decision is made that really put me in mom mode. I could see that it wasn't going to be the best decision but I really understood how the decision came to be. Suzette's confusion over what she really wanted was perfectly described. These characters go through a lot in this story and I really felt the range of emotions with them. There were a few times that I put the book aside not because I wasn't enjoying it but simply because I wanted to think about it for a while before moving on.

All in all, I thought this was a really great read and I do recommend it to others. There is so many things to enjoy in this wonderful little story. I look forward to reading more from Brandy Colbert in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers via TheNovl.com.

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11 more

LibraryThing member muddyboy

This is the story of a brother and sister dealing with their own unique set of problems. Little is a Black teenage who is Jewish and is conflicted about her sexuality. Lion suffers from psychological issues and is reluctant to take his meds. Almost too much stuff going on here. The novel is not

depressing but there are many issues both familial and otherwise. I think that the book will be embraced by the young adult audience for which it is intended. A little to many issues for the characters for my taste.

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LibraryThing member olegalCA

An interesting take on the now common theme of mental health issues in teen fiction. Brandy Colbert tells the story from a sibling's perspective.

LibraryThing member caitief

Little is one of the best characters ever written.

She is so complex and real. She doesn't always do what she should, in the best way possible. Every teen feels and sounds like a real teen and deals with their lives in a teenaged way. No one is perfect and it is great.

This should be in every

middle and high school English classroom in the country.

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LibraryThing member EdGoldberg

Suzette has her problems. She's Black, Jewish and bisexual. When she was caught with her girlfriend, Iris, at her boarding school, she did not stand up for herself or Iris. They parted the semester on less than good terms. Add to that the fact that Lionel, Suzette's brother has bipolar disorder.

Suzette is home in L.A. for the summer. When Lionel decides to go off his meds, he forces Suzette to promise not to tell their parents, a secret she shouldn't be keeping.

The Stonewall Book Award (exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience) winning Little and Lion adeptly deals with Suzette's crush on both Rafaela, a girl she met at a party, and Emil, a boy she's known all her life. But,always in the back of her mind is Iris and the way they parted. It also deals realistically with Lionel's bipolar disorder and the way his meds make him feel.

It is fast but enjoyable read.

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LibraryThing member m_mozeleski

The begining, when the main character is describing the family set up and living arrangements, is a little confused, but is quickly forgotten once we learn more about the so-called Little. A beautiful novel, this story deals with the realities of step-sibling trust dynamics, complicated family

dynamics, and in the middle of all of this, the main character debates her own sexuality. Some things are resolved, people make mistakes, but everything weaves together for a hopeful end.

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LibraryThing member Starla_Aurora

Great book that touches on some serious topics for teens, especially these days. (Or at least what feels like topics that are happening more and more but may be just because of social media etc it is popping up more and more).

Little and Lion brings up important situations such as the death of a

parent, combined families, step parents/siblings, mental disorders, race, religion, bullying, and sexuality. Some people know who they are their whole lives, others it takes them a while to grow into who they want to be. It is important to remember this before we judge others and we are all guilty of it. This book may help shed some light.

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LibraryThing member readingbeader

This was good, but I just wasn't as engaged by it as I had hoped. I loved the mixed family and the dynamics between Suzette and Lionel.

LibraryThing member DrFuriosa

It's hard to watch a family member struggle with mental illness, and Colbert captures that feeling well. There is also sexual identity, religious, identity, race, and it starts to feel a bit like Issues Bingo, rather than a novel. I think there are many important stories embedded in here, though

the romantic drama sometimes drowned them out. 3.5 stars.

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LibraryThing member reader1009

teen fiction (LGBTQ, ethnic diversity, mental health and differently abled, unmarried blended family in Los Angeles). I liked the part about speaking out against microaggressions (or in this case, blatantly wrong statements). There was a lot more diversity (all kinds!) than I was used to seeing in

a book, but since this is more or less what the world actually looks like, this is a good thing. I also liked Suzette's small step progress as she figures out who she is and whom she likes, and how to behave accordingly--it is a confusing period in her life and I thought Colbert did a very nice job of helping Suzette begin to navigate through it. Well done.

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LibraryThing member Lioninthelibrary

The title of Brandy Colbert’s award-winning book Little and Lion comes from the names of the two main characters, Suzette and Lionel, two stepsiblings in a biracial family who have a close and trusting relationship where “Little” is Lionel’s nickname for his “little sister” and

“Lion” is short for Lionel and is a special name given to him by her. The story is told from the perspective of Suzette, who has come home to stay with her family in Los Angeles for the summer after her first year at a boarding school in New England. As the story unfolds, we discover she was sent away for school this year because Lionel has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and her parents felt it would be easier for teens to not be a distraction for one another while he struggles through treatment and medication adjustment. The story ultimately is about friendship, family, trust, and how mental illness, religion, identity, and race are aspects challenging or strengthening many families, blended or not. The story content is mature (some recreational drug and under-age alcohol use, profanity, some sexual content described although not graphically) and presented by the author in ways that show consequences and reflection, so that the plot’s tension and the story’s lighter moments feel genuine. The writing is simple and while the story sounds complicated, it’s just as messy as many real families can become and resolves with questions remaining, some solutions that didn’t quite work, but also with a clean sense of discovery, hope, and honesty that’s refreshingly relatable.

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LibraryThing member NanetteLS

I really enjoyed this one. I thought all the characters were multi-dimensional and imperfect which certainly makes for an interesting story. I also appreciated the racial/sexual preference diversity which you don't always see even now. Suzette (Little) and her step-brother Lionel (Lion) deal with a

variety of issues, mistakes, mixed feelings, etc. during one summer when she comes home from boarding school and attempts to deal with her sexuality, his bipolar disorder, and several other issues. Lovely writing and a quick read.

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