Like the Lion's Tooth

by Marjorie Kellogg

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374187630
• Release Date: January 1972
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Length: 147 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Mature YA Book About Child Abuse

"Like the Lion's Tooth" is a quick, spare story (147 pages) that revolves mostly around the 11-year-old protagonist (Ben) and his family. They are continuously playing a cat-and-mouse game with their abusive father by packing up and moving whenever he leaves for work overseas; yet he always tracks them down when he returns to the States, and the cycle of abuse resumes from there.When things finally get out of hand, Ben's mother considers it best if he and his older brother Ray go to a special school for troubled teens so his parents can "work things out". Although relationships in this family aren't too strong, this arrangement severs quite a few ties, particularly between Ben and his autistic younger brother Philip, who later faces a grim fate at the end of this book. Although Philip was pretty much a shadow throughout this book, he was one of my favorite characters. Another favorite was Julie Williams, one of a handful of oddly-placed characters that run in and out of Ben's life. She was abandoned by her father at a young age and consequently ended up at the school Ben's attending. Ever since she's been physically chasing men that resemble her father, yet she can never seem to catch up to them.I thought this book gave a captivating, realistic look at domestic violence. However, even though it's apparently geared for young adults, I don't consider this book appropriate for most kids. For starters, the writing is a little hard to comprehend; even I had some difficulty following the plot--it switches back and forth sporadically between the past and present, making it quite confusing at times. Also, the content might be a little too disturbing or graphic for younger or more sensitive readers since it involves some physical and sexual abuse.I did like that there weren't any chapters, just intervals. It was relatively easy to speed through that way. I was also surprised this book was written 30 years ago. It doesn't seem outdated at all. Sadly, though, the topic of child abuse will always be relevant, so I doubt this one will be placed on the shelf and forgotten.Recommended for adults or more advanced teenage readers.

Like the Lions Tooth by Marjorie Kellogg

Yes, I have read this book as req1uired reading in college.This is the first and last book that I have ever cried. I read this book in one night and after over ten years, I still remember it as it was my favorite.