The Lion above the Door by Onjali Q Rauf

"It was exactly my name! Not just the Leo part but all of it - Leo Kai Lim! But what was it doing inside a cathedral? On part of an old wall that remembered soldiers? And why did it have a golden lion above it, when none of the other names did? And what did DFC mean?"

Leo and his class go on a school excursion to Rochester Cathedral as a part of their class study of World War II. 

"The school library books about the war hardly mentioned any countries outside Europe and America. Even the ones that did only ever said things like "parts of the Commonwealth' or 'the Far East' or 'Africa' - as if those words were just a single thing and weren't made up of lots of huge countries with millions of people who might have been heroes too."

Leo's family come from Singapore and Sangeeta's family come from India. They also have a new friend Olivia who shares her (surprising) heritage. These three form a team to tell the real history of their connection to World War II. 

The joy and importance of family history are also recognised- gathering memories from those around you and exploring the lives of those who have gone before and acknowledging the contributions they have made.  North Sommerset Teachers' Book Award

Publisher blurb: Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are the odd ones out in their school. But as Leo's dad is always telling him, it's because they're special. Only thing is, if they're so special, how come they never see anyone who looks like them in their school history books?  Then, on a class trip to a nearby cathedral, Leo's attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall. Right there, bang in the middle of a list of war heroes, Leo finds himself staring at something incredible: his own name. Desperate to know who this other Leo was, the two friends embark on a search. And together, they begin to uncover missing stories from the past, ones which they are determined to put back into their rightful place in the pages of history.

This book is has a slower pace than the previous books I enjoyed by Onjali Q Rauf but on page 251 the action really heats up. Readers aged 10+ with reading stamina, an interest in World War II, and those who enjoy stories about true heroes are sure to enjoy The Lion above the Door. Here are three other books by Onjali:

The Star outside my Window

The Boy at the Back of the Class

The Night Bus Hero