The Lions' Run
-
-
5.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times and Indie Bestseller * Six starred reviews
"A page-turning and ultimately triumphant tale of heroism."** "Thrilling and gut-punching."***
An orphan during WWII discovers unexpected courage within himself when he joins the Resistance. From the acclaimed author of the classic PAX.
Petit éclair. That’s what the other boys at the orphanage call Lucas DuBois. Lucas is tired of his cowardly reputation, just as he’s tired of the war and the Nazi occupation of his French village. He longs to show how brave he can be.
He gets the chance when he saves a litter of kittens from cruel boys and brings them to an abandoned stable to care for them. There he comes upon a stranger who is none too happy to see him: Alice, the daughter of a horse trainer, who is hiding her filly from German soldiers.
Soon Lucas begins to realize they are not the only ones in the village with secrets. The housekeeper at the German maternity home and a priest at the orphanage pass coded messages; a young mother at the home makes dangerous plans to keep her baby from forced adoption; and a neighbor in town may be harboring a Jewish family.
Emboldened by the unlikely heroes all around him, Lucas is forced to decide how much he is willing to risk to make the most courageous rescue of all.
Perfect for fans of Alan Gratz, this brilliant, accessible novel illuminates a little-known aspect of World War II history.
**The Horn Book
***BookPage
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This immersive WWII novel by Pennypacker (Leeva at Last), set in 1944 occupied France, centers orphaned 13-year-old Lucas, whose Lamorlaye abbey orphanage peers view him as a coward with a "too-soft heart." Working as a delivery boy means that Lucas is privy to the goings-on at the Lebensborn, a covert Nazi home for pregnant teens, as well as other secrets: a neighbor hiding Jewish children and a priest working for the Resistance. Over the course of Lucas's employment, he develops a friendship with a new mother at Lebensborn; simultaneously, he bonds with a wealthy, assertive British girl, whom he encounters hiding her horse from the Nazis in an abandoned Chantilly stable where Lucas conceals five kittens he has saved from drowning. Driven by compassion and a sense of justice, Lucas surprises himself with his own small courageous actions, which eventually lead to some enormously dangerous ones, illustrating Lamorlaye abbey Sister Marie-Agnes's saying: "Little termites taking tiny bites can bring down a cathedral." The novel is populated by complex, sympathetic characters. Richly descriptive writing and steadily building suspense make for a genuinely satisfying read. Includes a map and author's note. Ages 8–12.
