The Liberation of Gabriel King [Hardcover]

K. L. Going (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Gabriel King is afraid of everything: spiders, the rope swing over the lake, andmost of all, going to fifth grade.

Frita Wilson, his best friend, decides Gabriel needs some liberating from his fears, so they make a list and plan to tackle each one. But one of the reasons Frita is so determined to help Gabe is that she needs his help too. Hollowell, Georgia in 1976 isn't exactly the most integrated place, and Frita's the only black student in school in a town with an active Ku Klux Klan.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–In a small town in Georgia in 1976, Gabe King, who is white, and his friend Frita Wilson, who is African American, take on a special project. Gabe is determined not to go to fifth grade in the fall, in the "big kids" wing of the school where he will be one of the smallest students and at the mercy of bullies Duke Evans and Frankie Carmen. Frita, however, has determined to use the summer to liberate her friend from his fears and make sure he moves up with her. Gabe's narrative voice is open, direct, sometimes comic, and maybe a little hysterical: he has many fears, including Frita's teenage, body-building brother, Terrance. However, he agrees to Frita's plan, which includes liberating herself from her much shorter list. Going deftly balances the ugly face of racism with the more powerful forces of understanding, friendship, and family, which run broadly through the novel. Both Gabe and Frita come from loving homes that fully support the vision of brotherhood and equality of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and soon-to-be President Carter, and are committed to making that vision a reality.–Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. "Could a chicken become a warrior and fight oppression?" Small for his age, Gabriel, 10, is scared of the bullies in his all-white trailer park in small-town Georgia in 1976. His tough best friend, Frita, the only black kid in his class, helps him to overcome his fear, and he's able to stand with her when the Klan threatens. As in Going's Printz Honor Book Fat Kid Rules the World (2003), which was written for an older audience, the characters here are funny and brave and drawn with candor and immediacy. At first Frita is a bit too perfect, too strong and wise, and Going's message sometimes overwhelms the story, as when Frita makes Gabe list his fears, which he overcomes one by one. But there is lots of farce and fun, too--until the quietly building tension peaks with the terror of racist confrontation and the courage of people, adults and kids, who stand up together. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 151 pages
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons (June 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039923991X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399239915
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

K.L. Going is the award-winning author of books for children and teens. Her first novel, Fat Kid Rules the World was a Michael Printz Honor Book, listed with YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults and their Best Books for the Past Decade. Her books have been Booksense picks, Scholastic Book Club choices, Junior Library Guild selections, NY Public Library Best Books for the Teenage, and winners of state book awards. Her work has been published in Korea, Italy, Japan, Germany, and the UK, and Fat Kid Rules the World will soon be a movie!

K.L. began her career working at one of the oldest literary agencies in New York City. She used this inner knowledge of publishing to write Writing and Selling the Young Adult Novel -- a how-to book for aspiring writers, published by Writer's Digest. She has also written short stories for several anthologies and currently has multiple picture books under contract. She lives in Glen Spey, NY where she both writes and runs a business critiquing manuscripts. She's also an adoring mom.

To visit KL on-line go to www.klgoing.com, www.facebook.com/KLGoing, or find her on Twitter!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Liberation of Gabriel King, June 27, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Liberation of Gabriel King (Hardcover)

I loved reading this book. I read all the time and have lots of favorites, now the Liberation of Gabriel King will join them. I had to read a book for 5th grade that was set in the same time period and covered the same topics but it was definately not as interesting. I'm going to tell my teacher she should have her class read this book instead. The characters determination and perseverance was amazing. It was funny reading about the ways Frita conquered Gabriel's fears. I liked it so much I read it in one sitting. I highly recomend this book to anyone 9-13. I think adults would even enjoy it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Among our most favorites, June 30, 2005

By 

Gae Polisner "The Pull of Gravity, fsg." (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Liberation of Gabriel King (Hardcover)

I read this to my 7 and 9 year old boys. We couldn't put it down. It now ranks among our favorites with Tale of Desperaux and Ida B. A true treasure of a book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for all ages, June 21, 2005

By 

Lynn D. Hoffmann - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Liberation of Gabriel King (Hardcover)

Although this book is targeted at young people in the 10-14 age bracket, I enjoyed it very much as an adult. I purchased it for my grandson and he has called me up to tell me "what happened next" two nights in a row. Engaging characters and an important life lessons are neatly woven into an adventure tale of two young people in a little town over a hot summer. If you buy it for your children or grandchildren, read it first. You'll enjoy it.