Review - Call Me Lion by Camilla Chester

 Review - Call Me Lion by Camilla Chester

Ten-year-old Leo dreams of performing in the West End. His love of dancing is getting him through the Luton heatwave, but his selective mutism is putting his spot in the end-of-summer dance show on the line.

When chatty Richa moves in next door, Leo finds it easy to bond with her. She talks enough for the both of them ... at least to begin with. But when he learns her secret it's clear that Richa needs Leo's support as much as he needs hers.

With Richa's help, will Leo be able to follow his dreams? Or will Leo's inability to talk cost him their friendship?

I absolutely adored Call Me Lion. A gorgeous book full of love and empathy and understanding.
I learned a lot from its representation of selective mutism, and other difficulties people experience and I'm sure it'll really help some children.

It's also a beautiful story, and at times quite an emotional one too. Leo and Richa are wonderful and I really liked the supporting cast, especially Leo's supportive, protective, bickering siblings Ryan and Brianne.

There's another element of representation that I was thrilled to see, and that was a boy dancing, being good at dancing, loving dancing, coming alive through dancing. As a man who loves to waltz, salsa and tango, let's keep normalising this please!

This is such a sensory book too! It came alive with sounds and smells, from Ryan's overpowering spray to the smell of sun cream, from the jangling of bracelets to the pumping disco beat. And the feel of a sweltering heatwave was palpable throughout!

With Call Me Lion, Camilla Chester has produced a powerful hit of a book with a beautiful tale.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Call Me Lion by Camilla Chester is published on 16th June 2022 by Firefly Press.

I was given a review copy via Netgalley in return for an honest review.