Lucas has known no other home than the Lamorlaye Abbey Orphanage in his small French town. Life is different now he is 13 however, with
German soldiers occupying the town, taking everything for themselves and leaving little for the residents.
There has been talk of the Allies coming to free them of the German’s checkpoints, curfews and constant restrictions, and Lucas can’t wait for that to happen. In the meantime, he has wee lives to save.
When he sees his long-time bullies with a wriggling, mewling sack, he knows they are the Abbey cat’s new kittens. He tries to be brave, but the bullies will not be negotiated with. Lucas ends up dragging the sack from a canal, hoping they haven’t drowned. This act of kindness leads to a whole new life for him.
On finding a hiding place for them, he finds a girl with a horse with exactly the same idea. Alice is unfriendly at first, worried her hiding place will be discovered. The Germans are looking for horses to pull their wagons at the front lines, and Alice can’t imagine losing her equine friend. Together they keep these animals, large and small, safe.
Lucas is a delivery boy with the local green grocer. He delivers all over the town, one stop being a maternity hospital. He’s not sure whether to believe Alice’s angry remarks that it is a breeding hospital for future Nazis. He can see the young mothers to be get the best food and care, but hates the thought of the babies being taken from their mothers to be adopted into German families.
The more he learns from Alice, and the people he meets on his deliveries, the more he understands, becoming angry at the Germans. He’s been called a coward for so long by his bullies, he’s come to believe it. But just like the kittens, maybe he can help others too?
Lucas is the underdog in the beginning of this novel. He’s small, an orphan, and is bullied by two bigger boys. He’s easy to root for, especially after saving a bag of kittens from a canal.
Watching him grow more confident, braver and determined throughout The Lions’ Run, makes it a very satisfying read.
Set in 1944, in occupied France, The Lions’ Run is full of tension, which only grows higher, the further you read. Will someone discover the kittens he’s saved? Will his new friend’s hidden horse be found by the Germans?
The horse’s owner named Alice, inspires Lucas to be braver. She’s self assured, bossy, and fearless, determined to keep her beloved horse from German clutches. Lucas also has an effect on Alice – making her kinder, patient and more thoughtful.
These two young teens are soon hiding a much bigger secret that will take their lives if caught – driving the story to an intense ending.
A key part of the novel includes historical fact in the form of a local Lebensborn Maternity home. This is one of many hospitals the Germans ran with the intent of a superior Aryan race of blue eyed, blond haired children, and future German soldiers.
The Author’s Note – Facts & Fiction for this story is an interesting addition at the rear of the book.
Author – Sara Pennypacker
Illustrator – Jon Klassen
Age – 11+
Find more of Sara Pennypacker’s novels here
Publisher – Hachette
Set – Occupied France / WWII 1944
Viewpoint – 3rd person
Violence – Yes
Real Life – Yes
Fantasy – No
Blend – Real Life / Historical / War
(2026, Hachette, Animals, Kittens, War, France, German soldiers, Horse, Animals, Courage, Friendship, Bullies, Maternity Home, Orphans, Historical, WWII, World War 2, Nazi, Lebensborn, Eugenics, Aryan, French Resistance)