The Liberation of Gabriel King, K. L. Going
The Liberation of Gabriel King, K. L. Going
List: $13.50 | Sale: $9.44
Club: $6.75

The Liberation of Gabriel King

Author: K. L. Going

Narrator: Robert Keefe

Unabridged: 3 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/28/2005


Synopsis

Gabriel King believes he was born chicken. He’s afraid of spiders, corpses, loose cows, and just about everything related to the fifth grade. If it’s a choice between graduating or staying in the fourth grade forever, he’s going to stay put–only his best friend, Frita Wilson, won’t hear of it.
“Gabe,” says Frita, “we got to do something about you.” When Frita makes up her mind, she’s like a locomotive–there’s no stopping her. “First, you’re going to make a list. Write down everything you’re afraid of.”
Gabe’s list is a lot longer than he’d like Frita to know. Plus, he can’t quite figure out how tackling his fears will make him brave. Surely jumping off the rope swing over the catfish pond can only lead to certain death . . . but maybe Frita knows what she’s doing. It turns out she’s got her own list, and while she’s watching Gabe face all his fears, she’s avoiding the fear that scares her the most.
With wisdom and clarity, K. L. Going explores the nature of fear in what should be an idyllic summer for two friends from different backgrounds. For them, living in a small town in Georgia with an active Ku Klux Klan, the summer of 1976 is a momentous one. It’s the summer they discover what courage is all about.

About The Author

K.L. Going lives in Glen Spey, New York, where she writes full-time for children of all ages. She is the author of Saint Iggy, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; Fat Kid Rules the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; and The Liberation of Gabriel King, her first book for middle-graders and a Children’s Book Sense Pick. They are all available on audio from Listening Library. Visit K.L. Going at www.klgoing.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Aurora

This was one that I read as a kid, and like all of those childhood books that are also about racism or abuse or poverty (and are also good, by the way, this doesn't include the heavy-handed ones where they shoehorn in a moral like they'll be shot if they don't), it has a different flavor reading it......more


Quotes

It’s the summer of 1976 in a small town in Georgia. Gabriel King has just finished fourth grade and is scared about fifth. In fact, he’s scared of many things: spiders, alligators, falling into the toilet, killer robots, corpses, swinging off the rope swing, his neighbor Mr. Evans and bullies at school. His best friend Frita is out of to liberate Gabriel from his fears. She has him make a list of them and work through them one at a time. However, Frita, who is African-American, has fears of her own and the story becomes a study of standing up to fears and bullies, from the school yard to the Klu Klux Klan. Strong voice, lively dialogue, humor and important themes make this a winner. Readers will enjoy following the sometimes-tempestuous friendship of Gabriel and Frita, and they’ll be completely absorbed in watching the friends and their community come together to stand up against the evil within.

-Kirkus Reviews, starred review