Louder, Lili

Lili is quiet and shy in class, uncomfortable when it's time to choose
partners and much preferring to read a book indoors during recess next to the class guinea pig. Her voice is so soft, "you couldn't hear it
even if you wanted to." One day an aggressive classmate named Cassidy chooses Lili as a partner and pretty much takes advantage of her for several days. Lili is unable to speak up until Cassidy begins to mess with the guinea pig. Then she finds the courage and accumulated outrage to tell Cassidy to "STOP IT!"

Lili is so shy and soft-spoken that she constantly gets looked over at school. Then one day loud, bossy Cassidy decides that Lili is her new best friend and proceeds to dictate everything the two should do. But Cassidy crosses the line when she suggests a game that will hurt the beloved class pet, a guinea pig named Lois. Lili must find her voice and speak up for Lois.

This book is a good tool for teaching children about standing up for what's right and for not letting other people walk all over them. (Cassidy is so like so many overly bossy, manipulative adults I've met that it's frightening.) It's also a good book for children who aren't shy to help them understand why some of their classmates might be so quiet oftentimes. However, my show more one issue is that this story seems to conflate two separate problems: being soft-spoken and being shy. The two are not always tied, even though many people seem to think so. This book just reinforces that stereotype. Still, the book's overall message is positive so I would recommend it.

S.D. Schindler's soft pastel illustrations fit perfectly with the story and add in some fun little details not mentioned in the text – like Lili's mother driving a Prius. show less

Lili is so quiet, her teacher marks her absent because her voice is too soft to hear. A classmate Cassidy takes advantage of Lili's quietness, picking her for a partner to take credit for her work and "share" lunches. But when a sub takes Mrs. Backmeyer's place for a day, Cassidy gets out of control and threatens the class guinea pig, Lois, and Lili finally speaks up loud enough for everyone to hear. Cassidy backs off and Lili earns the friendship of Rita B., who had been taking care of Lois.

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Re-read June 2019
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Re-read October 2021
"Everyone stopped it."

I loved the heroine in this story, a shy girl who finds her voice just when she needs it. I can't help but like Lili a lot. I can identify with being shy but she stood up when she had to and that is to be commended.

Lili is so shy that when she talks no one can hear her. At recess, she sits alone in the classroom with the class pet. One day, when told to work with partners a girl, Cassidy, decided she wanted to work with Lili. When working together, Cassidy bossed Lili around and took advantage of her. When Cassidy was not listening to her, Lili has had enough. She finally has the courage to speak up and finds her voice. This is a wonderful story for those who are shy to read. The illustrations are colorful and follow along with the text perfectly. Overall, this is a cute story showing kids who are shy to find their voice and not to be afraid to speak up when they need to.

I enjoyed this book. It is a great example of many students in the classroom, there is always the one loud child but most of them are shy and quiet. It teaches the children that are quiet that somtimes you have to stand up for yourselves and what is right. In this case, Lili had to stand up to Cassidy because she was abusing the fact that there was no teacher and did cruel things to the class pet.

Lili is a little girl that hasn't quite figured out the power of her voice. She is super shy and when she is has to work along a bully her buttons get pushed and she finds her voice that shocks the whole class.