WOW Recommends: The Lions' Run

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Soft-hearted Lucas is often teased for his sensitivity. Called Petit Éclair by some of the bullies in the orphanage, 13-year old Lucas doubts his bravery, but feels his anger toward those bullies, as well as the Nazis who have invaded his small town in France. And while Lucas may be sensitive and not as brave as he would like to be, he is observant and starts to notice how others in his small town are taking small steps to right the many wrongs the Nazis are inflicting upon his community. Once Lucas starts recognizing his own sense of justice and the horrors that surround him, he begins to think that maybe he, too, can take just a small step toward balancing the scales.   

The latest book by Sara Pennypacker, who also wrote the bestselling book Pax (2016), The Lions’ Run highlights Lucas’ growing sense of justice, agency and willingness to act. Starting with a small act of saving some kittens to ever increasing acts of bravery, Lucas grows into himself and to the person he wants to be. Readers will find themselves holding their breath while also cheering Lucas on as he decides the actions he must take—regardless of the cost—to be true to himself.   

This is a wonderful read that highlights the precarious situations everyday citizens inhabited during WWII. It allows for a better understanding of how life under Nazi rule became less and less humane for both humans and nonhuman animals and more and more about survival that compromised many people’s humanity. But it really showcases the bravery of everyday citizens in the face of the Nazi machine that destroyed so much of life in which it came into contact. Mostly, however, it’s about a young boy finding himself and standing up for his own beliefs within a small circle of trust made up of those who helped him along the way.  

The Lions' Run is an engaging narrative with short chapters that will facilitate all types of readers. Furthermore, it creates opportunities for readers to consider how they might act under similar circumstances, or at least to ponder the incredible efforts of those who fought the Nazis through the French Resistance as well as individual acts of courage that made a difference. WWII lasted for six years in Europe with inhumane laws and policies that worked to wear down people’s resolve while also limiting their freedoms. To not only withstand but resist such cruelty is evidenced in Pennypacker's story of an orphan boy who determinedly embraced the opportunities he saw to be human in a world that was so much less so.--Holly Johnson, Emeritus Professor, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH