The Lions' Run

Set in Lamorlaye in Occupied France in 1944, Sara Pennypacker’s first historical novel is a powerful story of heroism and the importance of standing up for what is right. Its protagonist 13-year-old orphan Lucas is teased by the other boys at the abbey where they live for being soft; indeed, their nickname for him is Petit Éclair. But when we meet him, Lucas, tired of four years being pushed around by the Germans as well as his classmates, is suddenly ‘sick of feeling ashamed.’ He rescues a litter of kittens from the boys ordered to drown them by one of the sisters, boys who are particularly aggressive to him, taking a blow to the head from a thrown stone in the process. Searching for a safe place to hide his tiny charges, Lucas meets Alice, daughter of an English horse trainer, who is hiding her beloved horse Bia from the Nazis. These acts of courage lead to more. He realises the greengrocer he works for as a delivery boy is smuggling food to a Jewish family and helps; he deceives a couple of German solders to protect the woman in charge of the Lebensborn maternity home, also working for the Resistance. As his courage grows and the plot proceeds, Lucas does something extremely brave, compassionate, and dangerous, finally galloping to safety down the Lions’ Run racetrack.  Scenes, setting, and the large cast of characters are described with equal skill by Sara Pennypacker so that the story is always compelling and convincing. It feels authentic and historically accurate, the grim stories of Lebensborn girls and their babies detailed with sensitivity. There’s also a deeper resonance to the story as the world seems to present us with more opportunities each day to choose to do the right thing. Jon Klassen provides the cover, chapter headings and map.

Read our Q&A interview with Sara Pennypacker.