Book to Share: The Lions' Run, by Sara Pennypacker

I’ve been on a WWII kick in my middle grade reading lately, and I couldn’t be happier about it. In the course of a week, I read Daniel Nayeri’s The Teacher of Nomad Land (reviewed here on Instagram), The Lions’ Run, by Sara Pennypacker, and Each and Every Spark, by Claire Swinarski. The latter two books both center around the French Resistance. And boy do I love the French Resistance. Mark your calendars for February, folks, because when these books come out, you’re going to want to grab some French cheese and croissants, set yourself down in a comfy chair, and enjoy a “book flight” of these two very different but complimentary stories.

I’ll start today with a review of The Lions’ Run, with Each and Every Spark coming up next week!

Here is the publisher’s description of The Lions’ Run:

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.

And my thoughts!

I think most of us, when we think of the word Resistance, or what the French Resistance was all about, think of bold and brassy individuals who fly in the face of danger and darkness. The reality—as so perfectly shown in The Lions’ Run--is that bravery most often didn’t look like defiance. It was quiet, consistent, and undercover. It involved tremendous risk, but very often the risk was not in standing against someone so much as standing for, and by, someone. 

In her character Lucas, Sara Pennypacker exemplifies the type of courage I hope my children can grow up to possess. Courage born from a love so strong that it can’t stand back and do nothing for someone who is hurting. Courage that acts despite fear, not in the absence of it. Courage that builds up those around us, rather than tearing down.

Besides this spectacularly-developed theme, I simply loved the plot and characters of The Lions’ Run. I found myself surprised by plot twists several times (unusual when I read a middle grade book!) and a few times had to go back to read a section or two over just to relish them. The characters were all wonderful, but I especially appreciated the nuance of Lucas’s friend Alice, who is complicated in the best of ways. The juxtaposition between poor, orphaned Lucas and rich, slightly-spoiled but still good-hearted Alice was very well handled. I also loved the Catholic priest—after reading several stories recently where the religious characters are insipid at best, this depiction of a brave man of God was refreshing and rang true to so many true historical accounts I have read.

Parents may want to know:

• Since this plot centers around a home for unwed mothers of German soldiers’ babies, this automatically raises the readership age to children who are ready for this. Like all WWII stories, so much of the real facts aren’t easy to stomach, and the fact that soldiers essentially bred children to be kidnapped from their mothers and given to “good” Nazi families is pretty horrific. You’ll know best if your child is ready.
• There are also one or two instances of God’s name used in vain. I consider them justified...but head’s up.
• In my family, we’ll be enjoying this one with our 12+ readers.

​The Lions’ Run releases in February but you can pre-order it now!
For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, visit Always in the Middle: www.gpattridge.com