What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lions' Run
The acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of Pax delivers an historical novel about an orphan during WWII who discovers unexpected courage within himself when he becomes involved with the Resistance.
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 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, Ruta Sepetys, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, this accessible novel, told in short chapters, illuminates a little-known aspect of World War II history.
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 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, Ruta Sepetys, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, this accessible novel, told in short chapters, illuminates a little-known aspect of World War II history.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published February 3, 2026
54 people are currently reading
6059 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
February 7, 2026
Animals and kids vs the Nazis in WW II France🐎🐈
When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. ~ African Proverb
🐎Alice is hiding her beloved mare Bia from being snatched up by the German army. The role Bia plays in assisting both Alice and Lucas is inspiring.
🐈Lucas Dubois saves a litter of kittens. His tender care of God's little creatures is a reminder of our mandate to be good stewards of our world.
👶Felix is a newborn at Lamorlaye, the local Lebensborn house near Chantilly, France. His mother Claire is determined to reunite with her little one after the war. How can Lucas and Alice help her?
✉There are resistance workers sprinkled throughout the area. Just as these unassuming people are invisible to the Germans, so is an orphan like Lucas. His deliveries of messages and other relatively small acts are like a termite taking tiny bites.
📖Sara Pennypacker clearly lays out her reason for writing this book in a letter to the reader at the beginning of the book: Will Lucas and Alice be brave enough to get away with what they are daring to do?
If you have read any of Sara Pennypacker's work (Clementine and Pax), you would snatch this one up just like I did. She is an engaging storyteller and takes some time at the end to clearly define what was true from history and what was not.
One thing I did not know is that she published an adult HF title about Lebensborn almost twenty years ago using her maiden name (Young) and it is called My Enemy's Cradle. As soon as I found that out I put a copy on hold at my library.
Happy Publication Week! Thank you to Balzer & Bray and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. ~ African Proverb
🐎Alice is hiding her beloved mare Bia from being snatched up by the German army. The role Bia plays in assisting both Alice and Lucas is inspiring.
🐈Lucas Dubois saves a litter of kittens. His tender care of God's little creatures is a reminder of our mandate to be good stewards of our world.
👶Felix is a newborn at Lamorlaye, the local Lebensborn house near Chantilly, France. His mother Claire is determined to reunite with her little one after the war. How can Lucas and Alice help her?
✉There are resistance workers sprinkled throughout the area. Just as these unassuming people are invisible to the Germans, so is an orphan like Lucas. His deliveries of messages and other relatively small acts are like a termite taking tiny bites.
📖Sara Pennypacker clearly lays out her reason for writing this book in a letter to the reader at the beginning of the book: Will Lucas and Alice be brave enough to get away with what they are daring to do?
If you have read any of Sara Pennypacker's work (Clementine and Pax), you would snatch this one up just like I did. She is an engaging storyteller and takes some time at the end to clearly define what was true from history and what was not.
One thing I did not know is that she published an adult HF title about Lebensborn almost twenty years ago using her maiden name (Young) and it is called My Enemy's Cradle. As soon as I found that out I put a copy on hold at my library.
Happy Publication Week! Thank you to Balzer & Bray and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
October 30, 2025
This is historical fiction as it should be done. Lucas is a very believable character, and the author makes perfect use of the setting and time to serve the story. The story itself is fast-paced and exciting. I loved learning about the Levensborn, which was basically a maternity home for French girls who found themselves impregnated by German soldiers; this was not something I had ever heard of.
I recently read another middle grade historical, where there was literally no interaction between the plot and the historical setting; it could have been set in any other time and it wouldn’t have mattered. But this was perfect; the actual time and place were, in fact, integral to the story, which is what historical fiction should be.
I recently read another middle grade historical, where there was literally no interaction between the plot and the historical setting; it could have been set in any other time and it wouldn’t have mattered. But this was perfect; the actual time and place were, in fact, integral to the story, which is what historical fiction should be.
Want to read
January 19, 2026A new Sara Pennypacker book? Yes please!
January 18, 2026
While browsing books on Netgalley, I saw this cover and instantly recognized the work of my favorite children's book illustrator, Jon Klassen. I mashed the Request button so fast, I barely registered that it was a middle grade chapter book.
Approved for the advanced readers copy, I quickly flipped through hoping to feast my eyes on a bit more art by Jon Klassen, but there is just a repetitive illustration at the top of each chapter. A note to those who may be coming into this with similar hopes!
That's fine with me though. The cover is honestly more than enough Jon Klassen, and the premise of the book is interesting to me. I was only vaguely aware of the Nazi Lebensborn program and though it feels very sanitized/watered down for younger readers, The Lions' Run sparked a curiosity that led me down a research rabbit hole for a few hours.
I have a bone to pick, but first I'll say that I'm sure that most people will be pleased with this story. There's almost a Disney quality to the core group of characters that makes for a cozy read. The plot is well fleshed out, the climax is satisfying, and, as I said before, the historical context is likely to spark its own curiosity voyage outside of the text.
------------------------------------------------------------
Now for a little criticism: I think that middle grade readers could handle a bit more honesty.
There is a gratuitous amount of animal violence among the orphan boys, but only one scene that comes close to showing the cruelty and barbarism of Nazis. I read Night in middle school! Kids can handle a less cartoonish version of what happened, and they deserve to read books by authors that trust that they can handle these heavy truths, especially now in 2025, when history is repeating itself and topics of forced pregnancy, child kidnapping, and mass deportation are extremely relevant.
Aside from that, the thing I ended up getting really hung up on was that the characters *really* juice up America but literally never mention the Soviet Union. The British are mentioned, the Allies are mentioned, but Russia/ the USSR are only mentioned in author's notes at the beginning and end of the book, and only for the purpose of saying that 1. this book is relevant because modern day Russia is stealing Ukranian children just like the Nazis did, and 2. Nearly half a million horses were seized from the USSR, France, and Poland during WWII.
At the risk of veering into Whataboutism, what about the nearly 30 million Russian soldiers that were slaughtered while fighting Nazis? I know this is France so you might be thinking, well, it was really the USA and the British that liberated France and so who cares that Russia was left out of this book? But to my eye it's a bit of historical revisionism to have the French characters under Nazi occupation wax poetic about how America is so wonderful, America will save us, America is the land of opportunity, in America coal miners can become doctors, etc. (After recently finishing Upton Sinclair's King Coal, that last bit felt especially out of touch.)
There are 34 references to America or Americans that read like boomer patriotism, but again, only those 2 author's notes about the USSR/Russia, neither of which give a sliver of credit to its outsized role in this war.
Some relevant info/quotes from my research:
- Just after the European fighting ended in May 1945, a poll by the French survey group Ifop found that 57 percent of the French thought Moscow had contributed the most to the war effort, compared with just 20 percent who named the United States.
- "In 1945, the great ally was Stalin and the USSR -- their role was absolutely clear for the French," -- Stephane Grimaldi, director of the Caen Memorial Museum for World War II in Normandy.
- "From a purely historical point of view, overlooking the absolutely critical role of the Soviet Union is absurd," -- Denis Peschanski, a senior research fellow at France's CNRS institute, who has long studied the evolution of France's collective memory of the war.
-------------------------------------------------------------
For me, this was a 2.5 rounded up for the beautiful cover illustration. I'm sure that the majority of other people will enjoy this book-- there is a lot to love, but I personally got hung up on the questions of collective memory and how historical myths and omissions are perpetuated through mediums as innocuous as a middle grade children's novel.
Approved for the advanced readers copy, I quickly flipped through hoping to feast my eyes on a bit more art by Jon Klassen, but there is just a repetitive illustration at the top of each chapter. A note to those who may be coming into this with similar hopes!
That's fine with me though. The cover is honestly more than enough Jon Klassen, and the premise of the book is interesting to me. I was only vaguely aware of the Nazi Lebensborn program and though it feels very sanitized/watered down for younger readers, The Lions' Run sparked a curiosity that led me down a research rabbit hole for a few hours.
I have a bone to pick, but first I'll say that I'm sure that most people will be pleased with this story. There's almost a Disney quality to the core group of characters that makes for a cozy read. The plot is well fleshed out, the climax is satisfying, and, as I said before, the historical context is likely to spark its own curiosity voyage outside of the text.
------------------------------------------------------------
Now for a little criticism: I think that middle grade readers could handle a bit more honesty.
There is a gratuitous amount of animal violence among the orphan boys, but only one scene that comes close to showing the cruelty and barbarism of Nazis. I read Night in middle school! Kids can handle a less cartoonish version of what happened, and they deserve to read books by authors that trust that they can handle these heavy truths, especially now in 2025, when history is repeating itself and topics of forced pregnancy, child kidnapping, and mass deportation are extremely relevant.
Aside from that, the thing I ended up getting really hung up on was that the characters *really* juice up America but literally never mention the Soviet Union. The British are mentioned, the Allies are mentioned, but Russia/ the USSR are only mentioned in author's notes at the beginning and end of the book, and only for the purpose of saying that 1. this book is relevant because modern day Russia is stealing Ukranian children just like the Nazis did, and 2. Nearly half a million horses were seized from the USSR, France, and Poland during WWII.
At the risk of veering into Whataboutism, what about the nearly 30 million Russian soldiers that were slaughtered while fighting Nazis? I know this is France so you might be thinking, well, it was really the USA and the British that liberated France and so who cares that Russia was left out of this book? But to my eye it's a bit of historical revisionism to have the French characters under Nazi occupation wax poetic about how America is so wonderful, America will save us, America is the land of opportunity, in America coal miners can become doctors, etc. (After recently finishing Upton Sinclair's King Coal, that last bit felt especially out of touch.)
There are 34 references to America or Americans that read like boomer patriotism, but again, only those 2 author's notes about the USSR/Russia, neither of which give a sliver of credit to its outsized role in this war.
Some relevant info/quotes from my research:
- Just after the European fighting ended in May 1945, a poll by the French survey group Ifop found that 57 percent of the French thought Moscow had contributed the most to the war effort, compared with just 20 percent who named the United States.
- "In 1945, the great ally was Stalin and the USSR -- their role was absolutely clear for the French," -- Stephane Grimaldi, director of the Caen Memorial Museum for World War II in Normandy.
- "From a purely historical point of view, overlooking the absolutely critical role of the Soviet Union is absurd," -- Denis Peschanski, a senior research fellow at France's CNRS institute, who has long studied the evolution of France's collective memory of the war.
-------------------------------------------------------------
For me, this was a 2.5 rounded up for the beautiful cover illustration. I'm sure that the majority of other people will enjoy this book-- there is a lot to love, but I personally got hung up on the questions of collective memory and how historical myths and omissions are perpetuated through mediums as innocuous as a middle grade children's novel.
June 4, 2025
I wasn't quite sure what I thought about this one at the beginning but I gotta say, it really grew on me! I've read a lot of historical fiction set during World War 2 (I think everybody has!) but I really enjoyed the setting of this one. It was different enough that the familiar time period didn't bother me at all.
Without delving too much into the plotline (because I feel like that would give everything away) I'll say that this book is a very sweet tale about a younger teenage boy who is an orphan and lives in France during World War 2. He thinks he's cowardly, but as the story goes on he finds the courage to face the injustice that surrounds him.
If I were to have any complaint it would probably be that it doesn't seem super believable. Like, a youngish boy doing all of that crazy resistance stuff? Um...maybe not. I don't really feel like this is a huge problem in a middle grade book though. Kids don't care:) Honestly, I didn't really care that much either! This one was a lot of fun and definitely a feel-good story.
I would recommend this to any child who enjoys historical fiction.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Without delving too much into the plotline (because I feel like that would give everything away) I'll say that this book is a very sweet tale about a younger teenage boy who is an orphan and lives in France during World War 2. He thinks he's cowardly, but as the story goes on he finds the courage to face the injustice that surrounds him.
If I were to have any complaint it would probably be that it doesn't seem super believable. Like, a youngish boy doing all of that crazy resistance stuff? Um...maybe not. I don't really feel like this is a huge problem in a middle grade book though. Kids don't care:) Honestly, I didn't really care that much either! This one was a lot of fun and definitely a feel-good story.
I would recommend this to any child who enjoys historical fiction.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
November 17, 2025
The other boys at the orphanage pick on and ridicule Lucas for being a coward. However, when it counts, he is much braver than he realizes. He rescues a litter of newborn kittens; he passes along messages for the Resistance; he befriends a young mother and her infant son Felix who are part of the German Lebensborn program; he helps supply additional groceries to a woman who is harboring Jewish children; and he conspires with a young woman who is hiding her race horse from the Nazis. But when the Nazis are getting ready to send Felix to Germany for adoption, separating him from his mother, Lucas takes drastic action to prevent this from happening, an action that has serious consequences and repercussions. You have to suspend disbelief upon reading the last few chapters but it is a resolution I found myself cheering for. A middle-grade novel well-worth reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2026
I’m always looking for a good action-packed historical fiction book to add to our collection. I think this book would appeal to middle grade boys and girls. I enjoy reading this author’s work and I appreciate the research that went into this book.
November 11, 2025
Lucas Du Bois, an orphan who saves a litter of kittens from drowning.
At age fourteen he joins the resistance, since the German occupation in France, where he live in an orphanage.
He meets Alice who is stabling her horse in a different stable, hiding her horse from the Nazis, who would like to use her in their war efforts.
Lucas also meets a young mother in a home for unwed mothers. Clair the young mother wants her baby back after the war. Not so with the Nazis.
Lucas is fearless taking the horse and baby to a safe place, then taking the horse on a ship to America.
A great book showing what courage Lucas had.
I want to thank Balzer and Bray for sending me this wonderful book
At age fourteen he joins the resistance, since the German occupation in France, where he live in an orphanage.
He meets Alice who is stabling her horse in a different stable, hiding her horse from the Nazis, who would like to use her in their war efforts.
Lucas also meets a young mother in a home for unwed mothers. Clair the young mother wants her baby back after the war. Not so with the Nazis.
Lucas is fearless taking the horse and baby to a safe place, then taking the horse on a ship to America.
A great book showing what courage Lucas had.
I want to thank Balzer and Bray for sending me this wonderful book
August 6, 2025
I really enjoyed this book, lots of good history and great characters. I learned a lot of things that I have never heard of before and they are things that should be more well known. Honestly, I wasn’t very surprised about a few things, they sounded just like something the Germans would have done. While I did enjoy this book, I probably wouldn’t hand it to someone unless I know they are mature enough to read it and not very sensitive. There were several things that just weren’t something I think a middle grade kid should be reading. Plus, if they are sensitive about animals and animal cruelty, I definitely wouldn’t give it to them. But I liked it and if I think someone could handle this book, I would definitely give it to them.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book.
February 1, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for the arc!
This is a monumental example of historical fiction, especially for middle grade readers. I consider myself relatively historically conscious, and had no idea that the concept of the Lebesnborn even existed. Learning accurate history from historical fiction is the first reason why I was impressed with this book.
Secondly, the characters were sweet and interesting, and their motivations and goals were unique. I’m Jewish, but it is nice to see a WWII book that—while touching on the “Jewish aspect” of the war—focuses on other ways lives were impacted. It’s hard, sometimes, for my students to contextualize that the war was a worldwide thing, with the Holocaust being a small but important/detrimental part of the larger conflict. If I were a history teacher, I might consider adding this book to my curriculum. As it stands, I will recommend to other educators.
My hesitations, though minor, are these:
1. I teach predominantly Orthodox Jewish students who have very little understanding of how Christianity works in general. Though the details of the abbey and Lucas’s life there are minimal, I think they would be confusing for my students. That, of course, does not impact everyone and will not impact my recommendation. Some students will be more willing to overlook the things they don’t understand, but for this reason, it’s not a book I can teach in my particular classroom. I will, however, put it on my shelf for students to pick up on their own if it seems interesting to them.
2. The pacing is somewhat slow, taking time to pick up before the action really grabs the reader. This is not a problem—lots of books are like this—but for less enthusiastic readers, who care little about horses or don’t relate to Lucas much, the risk they put it down early is high.
Otherwise, a fantastic middle grade read and a top-notch example of historical fiction (LOVED the author’s dissection of what was accurate and not at the end!) Will be adding to my classroom library shelf!
This is a monumental example of historical fiction, especially for middle grade readers. I consider myself relatively historically conscious, and had no idea that the concept of the Lebesnborn even existed. Learning accurate history from historical fiction is the first reason why I was impressed with this book.
Secondly, the characters were sweet and interesting, and their motivations and goals were unique. I’m Jewish, but it is nice to see a WWII book that—while touching on the “Jewish aspect” of the war—focuses on other ways lives were impacted. It’s hard, sometimes, for my students to contextualize that the war was a worldwide thing, with the Holocaust being a small but important/detrimental part of the larger conflict. If I were a history teacher, I might consider adding this book to my curriculum. As it stands, I will recommend to other educators.
My hesitations, though minor, are these:
1. I teach predominantly Orthodox Jewish students who have very little understanding of how Christianity works in general. Though the details of the abbey and Lucas’s life there are minimal, I think they would be confusing for my students. That, of course, does not impact everyone and will not impact my recommendation. Some students will be more willing to overlook the things they don’t understand, but for this reason, it’s not a book I can teach in my particular classroom. I will, however, put it on my shelf for students to pick up on their own if it seems interesting to them.
2. The pacing is somewhat slow, taking time to pick up before the action really grabs the reader. This is not a problem—lots of books are like this—but for less enthusiastic readers, who care little about horses or don’t relate to Lucas much, the risk they put it down early is high.
Otherwise, a fantastic middle grade read and a top-notch example of historical fiction (LOVED the author’s dissection of what was accurate and not at the end!) Will be adding to my classroom library shelf!
February 6, 2026
I did not enjoy Pax at all, so I tried to keep an open mind, but my expectations were low. Turns out it is one of those rare books that adults can enjoy as much as children.
It’s a bit of the Jennifer A. Nielsen formula. Boy with no parents meets girl who challenges his beliefs and together they overcome a monster, which often takes the form of the Nazis. This goes a layer or so deeper, and readers who like Nielsen’s books will love this.
I want to point out that eugenics and the lebensborn homes are a main storyline. These were homes for girls and women who were pregnant with the children expected to have aryan features. The babies were taken from the mothers for adoption in Germany. Younger or more naive readers maybe have a lot of questions about how these pregnancies came about.
This part of the plot calls to mind The Giver, and from there it was obvious to make comparisons to Number the Stars. So while it was a suspenseful page-turner and readers could learn a lot, it isn’t Lois Lowry’s quality of writing.
It’s a bit of the Jennifer A. Nielsen formula. Boy with no parents meets girl who challenges his beliefs and together they overcome a monster, which often takes the form of the Nazis. This goes a layer or so deeper, and readers who like Nielsen’s books will love this.
I want to point out that eugenics and the lebensborn homes are a main storyline. These were homes for girls and women who were pregnant with the children expected to have aryan features. The babies were taken from the mothers for adoption in Germany. Younger or more naive readers maybe have a lot of questions about how these pregnancies came about.
This part of the plot calls to mind The Giver, and from there it was obvious to make comparisons to Number the Stars. So while it was a suspenseful page-turner and readers could learn a lot, it isn’t Lois Lowry’s quality of writing.
January 22, 2026
In The Lions' Run, Sara Pennypacker turns her focus to Occupied France during WWII, crafting a story defined by fear, secrecy, and scarcity. The narrative highlights the "quiet" war fought by the French Resistance—everyday citizens performing small, dangerous acts of defiance. Like Pennypacker’s previous work, Pax, this story uses deep animal connections (specifically kittens and a racehorse) as catalysts for the characters' moral awakening and emotional growth.
The book explores the poignant idea that heroism is often found in the steady, quiet choices of ordinary people protecting the vulnerable. However, despite these strong themes, the execution felt far too perfect and sanitized. In many ways, this felt like a "movie version" of WWII rather than a raw look at history. Young readers are more than capable of handling the grim realities of the past, and providing them with a watered-down version of such a dark era feels like a disservice.
This is especially critical at a time when historical parallels. Specifically, when comparisons between the Nazi Gestapo and modern agencies like ICE in the U.S. are being made in current affairs. By softening the edges of the occupation, the book loses the teeth it needs to help young readers truly understand the gravity of these comparisons.
A significant factor in my rating was the overwhelming amount of pro-US propaganda woven into the dialogue. It felt incredibly jarring and unrealistic to have French characters, living under the weight of Nazi occupation, constantly waxing poetic about how America is the "land of opportunity" or the world’s sole savior. These sentiments were repeated ad nauseam and distracted from the actual French experience. When read alongside the sanitized depiction of the occupation, this heavy-handed messaging feels like a missed opportunity to discuss the complexities of power and resistance in a way that resonates with the world today.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The book explores the poignant idea that heroism is often found in the steady, quiet choices of ordinary people protecting the vulnerable. However, despite these strong themes, the execution felt far too perfect and sanitized. In many ways, this felt like a "movie version" of WWII rather than a raw look at history. Young readers are more than capable of handling the grim realities of the past, and providing them with a watered-down version of such a dark era feels like a disservice.
This is especially critical at a time when historical parallels. Specifically, when comparisons between the Nazi Gestapo and modern agencies like ICE in the U.S. are being made in current affairs. By softening the edges of the occupation, the book loses the teeth it needs to help young readers truly understand the gravity of these comparisons.
A significant factor in my rating was the overwhelming amount of pro-US propaganda woven into the dialogue. It felt incredibly jarring and unrealistic to have French characters, living under the weight of Nazi occupation, constantly waxing poetic about how America is the "land of opportunity" or the world’s sole savior. These sentiments were repeated ad nauseam and distracted from the actual French experience. When read alongside the sanitized depiction of the occupation, this heavy-handed messaging feels like a missed opportunity to discuss the complexities of power and resistance in a way that resonates with the world today.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
February 4, 2026
My heart is in my chest. This is such an important story. Until today I had never heard of the mothers forced to breed perfect Aryan children. My heart breaks for those mothers and those children. And then to think that they were ostracized after the fact when they were only doing what they had to survive.
Lucas does not believe that he is brave, but by the end of this story you will know that he is. I write this review with tears in my eyes. Such a beautiful story of hope and escape.
Wow. Just.....wow.
Lucas does not believe that he is brave, but by the end of this story you will know that he is. I write this review with tears in my eyes. Such a beautiful story of hope and escape.
Wow. Just.....wow.
February 4, 2026
Kids and I listened to an advance copy on Libro. It might have gone over my 9yo’s head but the 12yo and I LOVED it and cheered for Lucas all the way through. Great historical fiction with a believable and lovely hero.
November 26, 2025
Fabulous historical fiction novel! Review to follow in School Library Journal.
Read
January 22, 2026Oooh - this was a heart-pumping listen. I had a hard time 'putting it down', so to speak. The subject matter is probably a little intense for kids younger than late elementary. Lucas is an orphan living in a monastery school in France under Nazi occupation. He also works as a delivery boy for the local grocer. Lucas begins the story feeling powerless and picked on. After he saves a litter of kittens that older boys tried to drown, Lucas gets involved in several increasingly risky situations where he rises to the occasion of working for the resistance. A very exciting story about a brave and inspiring boy.
August 16, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan, and Pennypacker for the e-ARC of The Lions' Run.
I gravitated towards this novel initially because of the author and premise, and I was not disappointed! We follow Lucas DuBois in Nazi occupied France; Lucas is known as a coward by his peers, but takes on a role within the resistance. This novel champions quiet heroism and small acts of defiance for a large impact, which demonstrates to middle grade readers the power of choice and voice.
There is a unique perspective of the war in Pennypacker's book, with the orphanage and childbearing playing a critical role in the war efforts. Especially given our protagonist's background, the view of war through this lens is impactful, as Lucas' own life is paralleled with the children in the German maternity home. Countered with Alice's presence (a Britain upper-class girl), this novel challenges each character's perspective.
I do think that middle grade students can handle a bit more "realities" of war - animal cruelty played as a large moment of our inciting incident, but that's the most "direct cruelty" that happened within this novel (and that was from French orphans). War is cruel, and readers don't need extreme explicit cruelty to get the realities of war across, however, some more direct descriptions of how brutal this time period was would help support the premise (especially for students who may not know much re: WWII and its cruel reality.
Overall, though, I would love to have a copy in my middle grade classroom because it offers a unique perspective of WWII in France, and it offers students a view of heroism that celebrates the everyday person ~ little choices make large impacts!
I gravitated towards this novel initially because of the author and premise, and I was not disappointed! We follow Lucas DuBois in Nazi occupied France; Lucas is known as a coward by his peers, but takes on a role within the resistance. This novel champions quiet heroism and small acts of defiance for a large impact, which demonstrates to middle grade readers the power of choice and voice.
There is a unique perspective of the war in Pennypacker's book, with the orphanage and childbearing playing a critical role in the war efforts. Especially given our protagonist's background, the view of war through this lens is impactful, as Lucas' own life is paralleled with the children in the German maternity home. Countered with Alice's presence (a Britain upper-class girl), this novel challenges each character's perspective.
I do think that middle grade students can handle a bit more "realities" of war - animal cruelty played as a large moment of our inciting incident, but that's the most "direct cruelty" that happened within this novel (and that was from French orphans). War is cruel, and readers don't need extreme explicit cruelty to get the realities of war across, however, some more direct descriptions of how brutal this time period was would help support the premise (especially for students who may not know much re: WWII and its cruel reality.
Overall, though, I would love to have a copy in my middle grade classroom because it offers a unique perspective of WWII in France, and it offers students a view of heroism that celebrates the everyday person ~ little choices make large impacts!
October 20, 2025
In her debut middle grade-younger teen historical fiction, Sara Pennypacker (Pax duology, Clementine and Waylons series for children & more) tackles the lesser known Lebensborn programs instituted by Adolph Hitler and Heinrich Himmler to expand the so-called superior Aryan race by kidnapping children from conquered countries who fit the ideal profile and placing them in the homes of Nazi-friendly homes in Germany as well as orchestrating the impregnating of blonde-blue eyed young women by young blue-eyed Nazi soldiers and then adopting those babies into Nazi homes. Pennypacker’s focus is on the factual Bois Larris maternity home established in Lamorlaye, France and the fictionalized rescue of one baby by a French orphan boy.
Lucas has never known any home other than the orphanage and school run by the church and has watched when time after time, children are adopted into families while he is passed over. His slight stature and tender-hearted nature have earned him the nickname of Petit Eclair (Little Pastry) and the torment of older, bigger boys, convincing him that is why he is always overlooked. In an uncharacteristic move, Lucas saves the lives of kittens bagged and thrown into the river by his primary bullies and hides them in an abandoned stable that turns out to be not so abandoned. A friendship develops between him and Alice, the girl who is also using the barn to house an at risk animal, in this case, her racehorse who is destined for battle or dinner if she does not keep her hidden. Lucas’ job as delivery boy for the local grocer allows him access to the Lebensborn maternity home and his friendship with the French household manager leads to delivering messages between a priest at this school and the manager. As Lucas’ determination to fight the Nazis grows, so does his courage and over the course of his friendship with Alice, his delivery connections and his own sharp thinking, he does the impossible-rescues a baby, reuniting him with his birth mother, and helps Alice get her horse and himself to a trainer in the United States.
Pennypacker’s story is filled with an exciting mix of history and rescue as well as encouragement to readers that what is inside a person matters much more than what is outside. The action is steady with Lucas’ escape on horseback with a baby strapped to his chest being particularly thrilling. The facts of the Lebensborn maternity homes may lead readers to look into the program and for younger students, this outside research could lead to some facts they are not prepared to deal with so teachers, librarians and parents should be conscious of this possibility. Pennypacker avoids the sex act itself and alludes to the pregnancies being a result of misplaced affection for German soldiers. Recommended reading for those interested in learning more about the Lebensborn program, also set in a middle grade-younger teen historical fiction book, would be Stolen Girl by Marsha Skrypuch.
Text is free of profanity and as stated, Pennypacker avoids sexual content. There is violence at the start that results in the bloody death of a mother cat and the successful drowning of one kitten and the attempted murder of the rest of the litter, a storyline I did not at all find necessary as Lucas could’ve rescued the whole litter and the mom from the likelihood of starvation and he still would’ve ended up in the stable where Alice and her horse were. This one scene makes The Lions’ Run inappropriate for any grade younger than 5th grade and I personally would suggest this one for grades 6-8.
Thanks for the print arc, Balzer + Bray/Macmillan Kids.
Lucas has never known any home other than the orphanage and school run by the church and has watched when time after time, children are adopted into families while he is passed over. His slight stature and tender-hearted nature have earned him the nickname of Petit Eclair (Little Pastry) and the torment of older, bigger boys, convincing him that is why he is always overlooked. In an uncharacteristic move, Lucas saves the lives of kittens bagged and thrown into the river by his primary bullies and hides them in an abandoned stable that turns out to be not so abandoned. A friendship develops between him and Alice, the girl who is also using the barn to house an at risk animal, in this case, her racehorse who is destined for battle or dinner if she does not keep her hidden. Lucas’ job as delivery boy for the local grocer allows him access to the Lebensborn maternity home and his friendship with the French household manager leads to delivering messages between a priest at this school and the manager. As Lucas’ determination to fight the Nazis grows, so does his courage and over the course of his friendship with Alice, his delivery connections and his own sharp thinking, he does the impossible-rescues a baby, reuniting him with his birth mother, and helps Alice get her horse and himself to a trainer in the United States.
Pennypacker’s story is filled with an exciting mix of history and rescue as well as encouragement to readers that what is inside a person matters much more than what is outside. The action is steady with Lucas’ escape on horseback with a baby strapped to his chest being particularly thrilling. The facts of the Lebensborn maternity homes may lead readers to look into the program and for younger students, this outside research could lead to some facts they are not prepared to deal with so teachers, librarians and parents should be conscious of this possibility. Pennypacker avoids the sex act itself and alludes to the pregnancies being a result of misplaced affection for German soldiers. Recommended reading for those interested in learning more about the Lebensborn program, also set in a middle grade-younger teen historical fiction book, would be Stolen Girl by Marsha Skrypuch.
Text is free of profanity and as stated, Pennypacker avoids sexual content. There is violence at the start that results in the bloody death of a mother cat and the successful drowning of one kitten and the attempted murder of the rest of the litter, a storyline I did not at all find necessary as Lucas could’ve rescued the whole litter and the mom from the likelihood of starvation and he still would’ve ended up in the stable where Alice and her horse were. This one scene makes The Lions’ Run inappropriate for any grade younger than 5th grade and I personally would suggest this one for grades 6-8.
Thanks for the print arc, Balzer + Bray/Macmillan Kids.
November 16, 2025
What worked:
Lucas is a virtuous orphan, even though he’s tired of being bossed around. The other boys in the orphanage treat him unkindly, and the Nazis patrolling the streets look down on him, too. Lucas displays his courage when he keeps two large orphanage bullies from drowning five kittens. He hides them in an abandoned barn, only to have a wealthy girl tell him to leave and never come back. However, Lucas is persistent, and he eventually befriends Alice. Lucas delivers groceries to a hospital for expectant mothers, and one day he snatches a coded message to save a matron, Mme. Garnier, from Nazi soldiers. Lucas decides he's tired of Germans invading his country and convinces her to let him join the Resistance.
Readers know about Nazi concentration camps where millions of men, women, and children were executed. Characters mention a couple of people who are taken to a camp, and they know the chances of survival are slim. Nazis in the streets, night and day, are constant reminders of how quickly characters might be arrested and disappear forever. Spying is a dangerous business, and Lucas risks his life every time he carries a message. Mme. Garnier and Father Gustave are reluctant to let a young boy help the Resistance, but Lucas is in a perfect position to transport coded messages. Young readers will enjoy the mystique of spy work, and the plot maintains constant tension.
The story offers a different perspective on World War II, as the events focus on French citizens. Lucas and Alice talk about the possibility of allied nations saving the country, and they are skeptical that America is truly the land of opportunity. People do questionable things in order to survive, and Alice’s father trains racehorses for the Germans. Mme. Garnier is the only French person working at the hospital where the babies of the pregnant women will become members of the Aryan nation. The author introduces Claire, a French woman carrying a German soldier’s baby. She knows her child will be taken away and adopted by a family in Germany. However, Claire dreams of being reunited with her baby after the war, even though she’s told that won’t happen.
What didn’t work as well:
Various characters speak three languages in the story: French, German, and English. However, the narrative doesn’t differentiate between the languages very well, so readers will mostly read English. Lucas is supposed to speak French, but readers won’t get a sense that he’s speaking anything other than English.
The final verdict:
Readers will root for Lucas as he tries to make a difference during the Second World War. The author assures readers that everything mentioned about the war is true, so they’ll get a compelling look at France during this time in history. The plot takes a dramatic turn when Lucas makes a rash, daring decision, leading to an exciting climax. I recommend you give this book a try.
Lucas is a virtuous orphan, even though he’s tired of being bossed around. The other boys in the orphanage treat him unkindly, and the Nazis patrolling the streets look down on him, too. Lucas displays his courage when he keeps two large orphanage bullies from drowning five kittens. He hides them in an abandoned barn, only to have a wealthy girl tell him to leave and never come back. However, Lucas is persistent, and he eventually befriends Alice. Lucas delivers groceries to a hospital for expectant mothers, and one day he snatches a coded message to save a matron, Mme. Garnier, from Nazi soldiers. Lucas decides he's tired of Germans invading his country and convinces her to let him join the Resistance.
Readers know about Nazi concentration camps where millions of men, women, and children were executed. Characters mention a couple of people who are taken to a camp, and they know the chances of survival are slim. Nazis in the streets, night and day, are constant reminders of how quickly characters might be arrested and disappear forever. Spying is a dangerous business, and Lucas risks his life every time he carries a message. Mme. Garnier and Father Gustave are reluctant to let a young boy help the Resistance, but Lucas is in a perfect position to transport coded messages. Young readers will enjoy the mystique of spy work, and the plot maintains constant tension.
The story offers a different perspective on World War II, as the events focus on French citizens. Lucas and Alice talk about the possibility of allied nations saving the country, and they are skeptical that America is truly the land of opportunity. People do questionable things in order to survive, and Alice’s father trains racehorses for the Germans. Mme. Garnier is the only French person working at the hospital where the babies of the pregnant women will become members of the Aryan nation. The author introduces Claire, a French woman carrying a German soldier’s baby. She knows her child will be taken away and adopted by a family in Germany. However, Claire dreams of being reunited with her baby after the war, even though she’s told that won’t happen.
What didn’t work as well:
Various characters speak three languages in the story: French, German, and English. However, the narrative doesn’t differentiate between the languages very well, so readers will mostly read English. Lucas is supposed to speak French, but readers won’t get a sense that he’s speaking anything other than English.
The final verdict:
Readers will root for Lucas as he tries to make a difference during the Second World War. The author assures readers that everything mentioned about the war is true, so they’ll get a compelling look at France during this time in history. The plot takes a dramatic turn when Lucas makes a rash, daring decision, leading to an exciting climax. I recommend you give this book a try.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
A fabulous read! The last half of this book, I could not put down! I was up into the early morning hours as I had to know what happened, yet I didn’t want my journey with Lucas and Alice to end. Could I have predicted that Lucas would meet up with Alice? No. What transpired between them was not romance but something deeper and far more reaching than either of them could have predicted.
Lucas was a delivery boy. It got him out of the abbey where he lived. It wasn’t quite freedom, but he was free from the eyes of everyone around him. The Germans did monitor the world outside the abbey, but Lucas was getting used to their checkpoints and the restrictions that they placed on the residents. Lucas knew what they expected and he knew how to make his deliveries within the town. Lucas had a soft heart which got noticed around his peers and thence he got the name Petit Éclair. At first, his peers thought this name was funny and Lucas fought hard to get rid himself of this title, but it is, what it is and now, there were only two bullies who would taunt Lucas by calling him Petit Éclair.
The story takes off when Petit Éclair (a.k.a. Lucas) rescues a sackful of kittens from the hands of the bullies who still taunt Lucas. They had thrown the kittens into the canal. Desperate to find shelter for these kittens and get back to his deliveries, Lucas places them in a deserted barn located at the end of a trail, for now.
How Lucas was going to care for these kittens was beyond me, but he might have the means since he has access to different delivery customers. Returning to tend to the kittens, Lucas discovers a horse in the barn. The horse Bia belongs to Alice who is attempting to also hide it, only she is hiding it from Hitler’s men for fear of what they would do it. Alice is determined to get her horse to America where it can be free. I loved Alice’s energy and her confidence as she began to inspire Lucas. She shows him what it is like to be resourceful in difficult situations. Lucas and Alice’s were so different yet here they were, striving for the same dream, which pushed them closer together.
When Alice opens Lucas’ eyes to the truth behind Bois Larris, he immediately changes. His maturity leaps. Lucas knew that it held many secrets but as Alice peels back the layers, Lucas sees the truth right before his eyes. I believe this is what powers Lucas, this is the nudge Lucas needed. There was no stopping Petit Éclair now. He has the means to take control, to change things, and with Alice by his side, Lucas will make a difference.
This was another great novel by Sara Pennypacker. Definitely one that I highly recommend. Thank you to Fierce Reads, Goodreads and Sara Pennypacker for sending me this copy of The Lions’ Run. I won this book in Goodreads Giveaway. 5 stars.
Lucas was a delivery boy. It got him out of the abbey where he lived. It wasn’t quite freedom, but he was free from the eyes of everyone around him. The Germans did monitor the world outside the abbey, but Lucas was getting used to their checkpoints and the restrictions that they placed on the residents. Lucas knew what they expected and he knew how to make his deliveries within the town. Lucas had a soft heart which got noticed around his peers and thence he got the name Petit Éclair. At first, his peers thought this name was funny and Lucas fought hard to get rid himself of this title, but it is, what it is and now, there were only two bullies who would taunt Lucas by calling him Petit Éclair.
The story takes off when Petit Éclair (a.k.a. Lucas) rescues a sackful of kittens from the hands of the bullies who still taunt Lucas. They had thrown the kittens into the canal. Desperate to find shelter for these kittens and get back to his deliveries, Lucas places them in a deserted barn located at the end of a trail, for now.
How Lucas was going to care for these kittens was beyond me, but he might have the means since he has access to different delivery customers. Returning to tend to the kittens, Lucas discovers a horse in the barn. The horse Bia belongs to Alice who is attempting to also hide it, only she is hiding it from Hitler’s men for fear of what they would do it. Alice is determined to get her horse to America where it can be free. I loved Alice’s energy and her confidence as she began to inspire Lucas. She shows him what it is like to be resourceful in difficult situations. Lucas and Alice’s were so different yet here they were, striving for the same dream, which pushed them closer together.
When Alice opens Lucas’ eyes to the truth behind Bois Larris, he immediately changes. His maturity leaps. Lucas knew that it held many secrets but as Alice peels back the layers, Lucas sees the truth right before his eyes. I believe this is what powers Lucas, this is the nudge Lucas needed. There was no stopping Petit Éclair now. He has the means to take control, to change things, and with Alice by his side, Lucas will make a difference.
This was another great novel by Sara Pennypacker. Definitely one that I highly recommend. Thank you to Fierce Reads, Goodreads and Sara Pennypacker for sending me this copy of The Lions’ Run. I won this book in Goodreads Giveaway. 5 stars.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5/5 stars
Thank you to Balzer + Bray and NetGalley for the review copy.
The Lion's Run by Sara Pennypacker is a middle grade novel with a fascinating setting in occupied Lamorlaye, northern France near the end of WWII. Lucas lives at the local abbey with the other orphans and has a job delivering groceries on his bike. Life in the orphanage, unsurprisingly, is not easy and he deals with bullies who him and call him "Petit Éclair" because of his soft heart and disinterest in playing war. Lucas saves a litter of kittens from these miscreants, but has no where to take them (no one wants extra cats in occupied France). When he stumbles upon an isolated stable he meets Alice, a British teenager whose father is a horse trainer at the famed local racing track, The Lions' Run. Alice is hiding her thoroughbred mare, Bia, from the Nazis, and has a plan to sneak the horse out from Spain in just a few weeks. At first hostile and suspicious, Alice quickly become Lucas' friend, confidante, and mentor in horsemanship.
Lucas' delivery route takes him daily to a secretive Nazi maternity hospital, known as a Lebensborn (German for "wellspring"). This is where pregnant local girls who have had relationships with German soldiers are brought to be cared for and have their babies, who are then sent to Germany to be raised up as Nazi soldiers and future mothers to soldiers (Pennypacker shares that she wrote this book in part to highlight the existence of these very real institutions, which existed throughout the conquered regions of Europe during the war and which produced about 20,000 children who were placed in Nazi homes).
Lucas befriends Claire, a new mother who is determined to keep her baby. He also has a burgeoning relationship with kind Madame Garnier, one of the only French employees of the Lebensborn. Through her, he is introduced to the Resistance. His role as a delivery boy allows Lucas a freedom of movement and a degree of invisibility in this dangerous world in which hostile eyes and ears are everywhere.
I will not include further plot details, but suffice it to say that life becomes more and more dangerous for Lucas, Mme Garnier, the villagers of Lamorlaye, and everyone else as the Germans become increasingly tense with rumors of the Allied invasion circulating. Lucas proves himself to be much more than a Petit Éclair. The ending section of the tale picks up the pace and there are many near misses with the Nazis. I found the story engrossing, if not entirely believable (the hiding of the horse and other aspects seem a bit far fetched). Then again, I have read real accounts of spies in occupied France and the truth is often bizarre and surprising. Kids need heroes like Lucas these days.
Thank you to Balzer + Bray and NetGalley for the review copy.
The Lion's Run by Sara Pennypacker is a middle grade novel with a fascinating setting in occupied Lamorlaye, northern France near the end of WWII. Lucas lives at the local abbey with the other orphans and has a job delivering groceries on his bike. Life in the orphanage, unsurprisingly, is not easy and he deals with bullies who him and call him "Petit Éclair" because of his soft heart and disinterest in playing war. Lucas saves a litter of kittens from these miscreants, but has no where to take them (no one wants extra cats in occupied France). When he stumbles upon an isolated stable he meets Alice, a British teenager whose father is a horse trainer at the famed local racing track, The Lions' Run. Alice is hiding her thoroughbred mare, Bia, from the Nazis, and has a plan to sneak the horse out from Spain in just a few weeks. At first hostile and suspicious, Alice quickly become Lucas' friend, confidante, and mentor in horsemanship.
Lucas' delivery route takes him daily to a secretive Nazi maternity hospital, known as a Lebensborn (German for "wellspring"). This is where pregnant local girls who have had relationships with German soldiers are brought to be cared for and have their babies, who are then sent to Germany to be raised up as Nazi soldiers and future mothers to soldiers (Pennypacker shares that she wrote this book in part to highlight the existence of these very real institutions, which existed throughout the conquered regions of Europe during the war and which produced about 20,000 children who were placed in Nazi homes).
Lucas befriends Claire, a new mother who is determined to keep her baby. He also has a burgeoning relationship with kind Madame Garnier, one of the only French employees of the Lebensborn. Through her, he is introduced to the Resistance. His role as a delivery boy allows Lucas a freedom of movement and a degree of invisibility in this dangerous world in which hostile eyes and ears are everywhere.
I will not include further plot details, but suffice it to say that life becomes more and more dangerous for Lucas, Mme Garnier, the villagers of Lamorlaye, and everyone else as the Germans become increasingly tense with rumors of the Allied invasion circulating. Lucas proves himself to be much more than a Petit Éclair. The ending section of the tale picks up the pace and there are many near misses with the Nazis. I found the story engrossing, if not entirely believable (the hiding of the horse and other aspects seem a bit far fetched). Then again, I have read real accounts of spies in occupied France and the truth is often bizarre and surprising. Kids need heroes like Lucas these days.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A book about courage for even the smallest and weakest
The Lion’s Run is a middle grade novel set during the Nazi occupation of France. Our hero is one Lucas DuBois, an orphan who lives at the local abbey and is an all-around errand boy in town. The other kids call him “petit éclair” (naming him after a pastry) because he is soft-hearted and easily bullied. Our story opens with his small efforts at bravery as he saves some kittens from drowning. Finding a safe place to keep them leads to meeting Alice, a wealthy British girl a few years older than himself, who is hiding her racehorse from the Nazis. Her brave attitude begins to wear off on him.
At the same time, Lucas works as a delivery boy in town—including to the nearby Nazi-run maternity hospital. The hospital is actually part of the Lebensborn program, a system in which the Nazis attempted to produce more blond, blue-eyed Aryans. There, he interacts with those running the place as well as some of the residents. Being only a child himself, Lucas does not fully understand all of the implications of this system. Instead, he looks on with longing at the lavish care the mothers and babies receive at the hospital, which he contrasts with his own orphan upbringing. As Lucas delivers goods to various individuals and institutions in his town, we witness the quiet bravery of many as they resist the Nazi occupation, and watch Lucas himself find the courage he needs to do the same.
Pennypacker could have told this story from a much more adult perspective, but I thought it significant that she chose to write a middle grade novel. Lucas is just a child, and he cannot stop the entire Nazi force. However, he is not entirely powerless. Indeed, each character is shown to actively search within their sphere of influence and to do whatever is in their power to bring a little more justice and kindness to the world. In a day where there is much turmoil in our real world and where things can feel out of control, it is heartening to be reminded that even small efforts can change the course of things for the better.
This book deals with some difficult historical facts with a great deal of sensitivity. It would be especially appropriate for classroom, book group, or parent-child discussions.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the chance to review a free ARC.
The Lion’s Run is a middle grade novel set during the Nazi occupation of France. Our hero is one Lucas DuBois, an orphan who lives at the local abbey and is an all-around errand boy in town. The other kids call him “petit éclair” (naming him after a pastry) because he is soft-hearted and easily bullied. Our story opens with his small efforts at bravery as he saves some kittens from drowning. Finding a safe place to keep them leads to meeting Alice, a wealthy British girl a few years older than himself, who is hiding her racehorse from the Nazis. Her brave attitude begins to wear off on him.
At the same time, Lucas works as a delivery boy in town—including to the nearby Nazi-run maternity hospital. The hospital is actually part of the Lebensborn program, a system in which the Nazis attempted to produce more blond, blue-eyed Aryans. There, he interacts with those running the place as well as some of the residents. Being only a child himself, Lucas does not fully understand all of the implications of this system. Instead, he looks on with longing at the lavish care the mothers and babies receive at the hospital, which he contrasts with his own orphan upbringing. As Lucas delivers goods to various individuals and institutions in his town, we witness the quiet bravery of many as they resist the Nazi occupation, and watch Lucas himself find the courage he needs to do the same.
Pennypacker could have told this story from a much more adult perspective, but I thought it significant that she chose to write a middle grade novel. Lucas is just a child, and he cannot stop the entire Nazi force. However, he is not entirely powerless. Indeed, each character is shown to actively search within their sphere of influence and to do whatever is in their power to bring a little more justice and kindness to the world. In a day where there is much turmoil in our real world and where things can feel out of control, it is heartening to be reminded that even small efforts can change the course of things for the better.
This book deals with some difficult historical facts with a great deal of sensitivity. It would be especially appropriate for classroom, book group, or parent-child discussions.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the chance to review a free ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
It is unusual for a middle grade chapter book to make a lot of noise in the book world, and I wondered why this one was on a lot of “Most Anticipated” lists for 2026 alongside adult books. I soon realized this is the newest book from the author of Pax, an award-winning middle grade chapter book with about 65,000 Goodreads ratings at the time of this review. Time for me to check these books out, and I’m starting with this one. Thanks to Balzer + Bray, Macmillan Audio, Sara Pennypacker (author), Edelweiss, and Libro.fm for providing an advance digital review copy and advance listening copy of The Lions’ Run (narrated by Graham Halstead). Their generosity did not influence my review in any way.
In 1944 Occupied France, Lucas is an orphan, and he is sick and tired. He is sick of his nickname, tired of being bullied, sick of being a coward, tired of the war and the Nazis in his village. “And he was sick of feeling ashamed,” says the last sentence in Chapter 1. We root for Lucas immediately. He soon gets his opportunity to do something about his feelings of uselessness and shame by rescuing some kittens from certain death. When he hides the kittens in an unused horse stable he frequently goes to, he finds Alice the rich girl already there hiding her horse from the Nazis who want to use it in their war. Alice has an elaborate plan in place to get her horse to America but has to keep hiding the horse for a few more weeks. Lucas just wants a place to keep the kittens until they can fend for themselves. Neither trusts the other nor wants the other to be there, and a lot can happen in a few weeks. When they each get involved in situations that risk the lives of others as well as themselves, they need to be smart, strategic, hopeful, brave, able to stay cool under pressure, and trusting of each other.
No wonder there is so much talk about this book. There should be more talk. This is fantastic, and I can see it becoming one of those beloved middle grade children’s classics along the line of Treasure Island and The Secret Garden. It is a well-written and smartly-researched historical adventure fiction using the hero’s journey as a framework. I loved it. 5 stars.
In 1944 Occupied France, Lucas is an orphan, and he is sick and tired. He is sick of his nickname, tired of being bullied, sick of being a coward, tired of the war and the Nazis in his village. “And he was sick of feeling ashamed,” says the last sentence in Chapter 1. We root for Lucas immediately. He soon gets his opportunity to do something about his feelings of uselessness and shame by rescuing some kittens from certain death. When he hides the kittens in an unused horse stable he frequently goes to, he finds Alice the rich girl already there hiding her horse from the Nazis who want to use it in their war. Alice has an elaborate plan in place to get her horse to America but has to keep hiding the horse for a few more weeks. Lucas just wants a place to keep the kittens until they can fend for themselves. Neither trusts the other nor wants the other to be there, and a lot can happen in a few weeks. When they each get involved in situations that risk the lives of others as well as themselves, they need to be smart, strategic, hopeful, brave, able to stay cool under pressure, and trusting of each other.
No wonder there is so much talk about this book. There should be more talk. This is fantastic, and I can see it becoming one of those beloved middle grade children’s classics along the line of Treasure Island and The Secret Garden. It is a well-written and smartly-researched historical adventure fiction using the hero’s journey as a framework. I loved it. 5 stars.
Review of advance copy
In occupied France in WWII, Lucas is an orphan living and going to school at the local abbey. He also has a job making deliveries on his bicycle, from the local shops in the village to customers like the Lebensborn, where girls who are carrying babies of Nazis are cared for until their babies can be adopted into the "right kind" of German families. Though he doesn't consider himself brave, especially when it comes to the bullies he encounters every day, he feels everything intensely, and always wants to do the right thing. When he saves a bag of kittens the bullies have tried to drown (on the orders of an adult at the abbey), Lucas goes to hide them in a nearby stable. There, he discovers an English girl, Alice, hiding her thoroughbred mare from the Nazis. As time goes on, they become better friends, and Lucas also befriends Clare and her baby Felix at the Lebensborn. The housekeeper(?) there is the only French employee, and implores him not to indulge Clare in her plan to find Felix after the war, as there's no way that will ever happen. Meanwhile, Lucas has also started carrying messages for the Resistance, so for a timid boy, he's surrounded by danger every day. And it's about the get a lot more dangerous.
This had a somewhat leisurely start, building up the relationships between the characters without too much nerve-wracking interference from the Nazis. All that changes about halfway through the book, and it's a desperate adventure from then on. The world building is really well done, though I'm not sure if kids reading it will stick with the slower pace of the start. Hopefully so, because there's plenty of adventure to follow. Like a hobbit, there's a lot of possibility in small people like Lucas, and they can all contribute to the war effort. Readers will appreciate Lucas' growing agency in his world, however dangerous it may be, and the connections he makes with other people that make his activities possible. Thanks to Libro.FM for a free educator copy of the audiobook.
This had a somewhat leisurely start, building up the relationships between the characters without too much nerve-wracking interference from the Nazis. All that changes about halfway through the book, and it's a desperate adventure from then on. The world building is really well done, though I'm not sure if kids reading it will stick with the slower pace of the start. Hopefully so, because there's plenty of adventure to follow. Like a hobbit, there's a lot of possibility in small people like Lucas, and they can all contribute to the war effort. Readers will appreciate Lucas' growing agency in his world, however dangerous it may be, and the connections he makes with other people that make his activities possible. Thanks to Libro.FM for a free educator copy of the audiobook.
July 20, 2025
I must plead guilty at not having read anything previously written by Sara Pennypacker and am currently in the process of tracking down everything ever authored by her. The reason? It’s because I just finished reading The Lions’ Run, the most remarkable novel I have read in quite a while.
Lucas DuBois lives in an orphanage where he is bullied and tagged as a coward when all he really wants is to do is be courageous and to belong. Lucas is ashamed of his cowardice and the nickname “petit éclair,” that has been assigned to him by two cruel boys, Marcel and Claude. Both boys are older than Lucas and both are residents at the same orphanage. Together they manage to torment Lucas and make his life a living hell.
Claude and Marcel have been tasked with disposing of a litter of newborn kittens, but Lucas rescues the litter and brings the pack to what he thinks is an abandoned stable to hide them. Upon arrival, he discovers “Alice,” a British teen whose father has been conscripted as a horse trainer for the Nazis. Like Lucas, she, too, has a mission – to save her beloved racehorse, Bia, from being used as an instrument of war for the German army. Despite their very different backgrounds, the teens forge an alliance which gets even more complicated when Lucas begins acting as a courier for the Resistance.
This feel-good novel will have you cheering Lucas on as he uses his quiet observation of people and events occurring in and around his village and his quick-thinking street-smarts to get him and others out of terrifying situations. However, it is the compassion that Lucas exhibits in dealing with the unimaginable horrors of war and the innocent victims left in its wake that will grab you. I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down. Don’t hesitate...run to your favorite bookshop - online or in person - and grab a copy of The Lions’ Run – it is a read that will hold you captive until the very last page.
Lucas DuBois lives in an orphanage where he is bullied and tagged as a coward when all he really wants is to do is be courageous and to belong. Lucas is ashamed of his cowardice and the nickname “petit éclair,” that has been assigned to him by two cruel boys, Marcel and Claude. Both boys are older than Lucas and both are residents at the same orphanage. Together they manage to torment Lucas and make his life a living hell.
Claude and Marcel have been tasked with disposing of a litter of newborn kittens, but Lucas rescues the litter and brings the pack to what he thinks is an abandoned stable to hide them. Upon arrival, he discovers “Alice,” a British teen whose father has been conscripted as a horse trainer for the Nazis. Like Lucas, she, too, has a mission – to save her beloved racehorse, Bia, from being used as an instrument of war for the German army. Despite their very different backgrounds, the teens forge an alliance which gets even more complicated when Lucas begins acting as a courier for the Resistance.
This feel-good novel will have you cheering Lucas on as he uses his quiet observation of people and events occurring in and around his village and his quick-thinking street-smarts to get him and others out of terrifying situations. However, it is the compassion that Lucas exhibits in dealing with the unimaginable horrors of war and the innocent victims left in its wake that will grab you. I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down. Don’t hesitate...run to your favorite bookshop - online or in person - and grab a copy of The Lions’ Run – it is a read that will hold you captive until the very last page.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this wonderful heartwarming eARC of a young boy learning his own identity and discovering his own bravery along the way.
🦁 A Lion’s Run by Sara Pennypacker
Sara Pennypacker has a gift for writing stories that carry emotional weight that lingers, and that teach lessons along the way. A Lion’s Run continues that pattern, and the audiobook format amplifies it in a way that feels intimate yet quietly powerful.
The story follows a young orphaned boy navigating danger, displacement, and the fragile hope that comes from unexpected alliances. What stands out most is Pennypacker’s ability to write from a child’s perspective without softening the stakes. The emotional beats land with clarity—fear, loyalty, confusion, and the fierce instinct to survive—yet the narrative never loses its sense of wonder or moral complexity.
The narrator’s performance is one of the audiobook’s strongest assets. There’s a grounded steadiness to the voice work that mirrors the protagonist’s resilience, and subtle shifts in tone help distinguish characters without ever feeling theatrical. Moments of tension are delivered with restraint, which makes them more affecting, not less. It’s the kind of narration that respects the intelligence of young listeners while still engaging adults.
The book explores:
- the personal cost of conflict
- the blurred lines between safety and danger
- the unexpected bonds that form under pressure
- the courage required to keep moving forward
Pennypacker doesn’t shy away from difficult truths, but she frames them with empathy. The result is a story that is both accessible and profound.
A Lion’s Run rewards careful listening. It’s emotionally layered, beautifully paced, and carried by a narrator who understands that the quiet moments matter as much as the dramatic ones. It’s a thoughtful, resonant beautifully told story of bravery and courage.
🦁 A Lion’s Run by Sara Pennypacker
Sara Pennypacker has a gift for writing stories that carry emotional weight that lingers, and that teach lessons along the way. A Lion’s Run continues that pattern, and the audiobook format amplifies it in a way that feels intimate yet quietly powerful.
The story follows a young orphaned boy navigating danger, displacement, and the fragile hope that comes from unexpected alliances. What stands out most is Pennypacker’s ability to write from a child’s perspective without softening the stakes. The emotional beats land with clarity—fear, loyalty, confusion, and the fierce instinct to survive—yet the narrative never loses its sense of wonder or moral complexity.
The narrator’s performance is one of the audiobook’s strongest assets. There’s a grounded steadiness to the voice work that mirrors the protagonist’s resilience, and subtle shifts in tone help distinguish characters without ever feeling theatrical. Moments of tension are delivered with restraint, which makes them more affecting, not less. It’s the kind of narration that respects the intelligence of young listeners while still engaging adults.
The book explores:
- the personal cost of conflict
- the blurred lines between safety and danger
- the unexpected bonds that form under pressure
- the courage required to keep moving forward
Pennypacker doesn’t shy away from difficult truths, but she frames them with empathy. The result is a story that is both accessible and profound.
A Lion’s Run rewards careful listening. It’s emotionally layered, beautifully paced, and carried by a narrator who understands that the quiet moments matter as much as the dramatic ones. It’s a thoughtful, resonant beautifully told story of bravery and courage.
November 17, 2025
I am well familiar with Sara Pennypacker’s spot-on contemporary fiction for young readers, books whose sprightly humor and big heart have always been extremely popular with the kiddos enjoying our school library read-alouds and borrowings for many years, but this new creation is my first encounter with her writing middle-grade historical fiction. No word is wasted here in this hard-hitting, heart-hitting chronicle of the lives of a boy and girl from very different backgrounds whose paths intersect in the throes of Nazi occupation of their French countryside. An orphan delivery boy with dismal prospects and a privileged girl hiding a prized and pricey racehorse are thrown together in the initially begrudging (on the young lady’s part) care of a newborn baby girl slated to be torn away from her teenage mom and unwillingly repatriated with an unknown family in an alien land, Germany. A dizzying amount of subterfuge, enough to confound the most cunning war hero, is thrust upon a pair of young kids (plus the baby’s mother) with only their street smarts (and a couple of sympathetic adults) to guide them to ultimate success in as good a placement as any of these brave young people could hope for under such crushing circumstances. These are good kids, a little rough around the edges, but resilient when it counts, and Ms. Pennypacker imbues them with distinctive and winning personalities, warts and all, and it is impossible not to be thrilled and heartened by them. She here gives readers a perfect antidote to the slings and arrows of our own modern-day tribulations. Lucas and Alice are compelling examples of “the greatest generation” once-removed, with just the kind of heart and soul and grit we parents and teachers mightily wish for our own children.
Read
December 30, 2025The Lions’ Run by Sara Pennypacker is a middle-grade historical fiction novel set in France during World War II. Thirteen-year-old Lucas, an orphan in Nazi-occupied France, is given the nickname “Petit éclair” by the other boys at the abbey, who see him as a soft coward. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear this label is far from accurate. Lucas gradually emerges as one of the bravest characters.
At the beginning of the book, Lucas saves several kittens that his bullies try to drown. This leads him to hide the kittens in an abandoned stable, where he meets Alice, who is hiding her horse from the Nazis. Lucas’s bravery continues to grow as he delivers messages for the Resistance. When Lucas learns that one of the babies he befriended in the Lebensborn program (German maternity homes) is going to be sent to Germany to be adopted, he acts quickly and helps the baby escape. The last few chapters are action-packed as Lucas goes on the run with Alice’s horse and baby Felix. Page after page, we see Lucas gain courage.
What I Liked: Lucas is such a lovable character, and his kindness is one of his most endearing qualities. He remains empathetic and selfless even though the circumstances of his life could have made him hard and self-centered. The World War II setting was integral to the plot, and I especially enjoyed learning about the Lebensborn program, which was new to me. While World War II can be a heavy topic, Pennypacker does a wonderful job of describing the injustices of the war in an age-appropriate way.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction or stories about unlikely heroes finding their strength.
This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here : https://yabookscentral.com/the-lions-...
At the beginning of the book, Lucas saves several kittens that his bullies try to drown. This leads him to hide the kittens in an abandoned stable, where he meets Alice, who is hiding her horse from the Nazis. Lucas’s bravery continues to grow as he delivers messages for the Resistance. When Lucas learns that one of the babies he befriended in the Lebensborn program (German maternity homes) is going to be sent to Germany to be adopted, he acts quickly and helps the baby escape. The last few chapters are action-packed as Lucas goes on the run with Alice’s horse and baby Felix. Page after page, we see Lucas gain courage.
What I Liked: Lucas is such a lovable character, and his kindness is one of his most endearing qualities. He remains empathetic and selfless even though the circumstances of his life could have made him hard and self-centered. The World War II setting was integral to the plot, and I especially enjoyed learning about the Lebensborn program, which was new to me. While World War II can be a heavy topic, Pennypacker does a wonderful job of describing the injustices of the war in an age-appropriate way.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction or stories about unlikely heroes finding their strength.
This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here : https://yabookscentral.com/the-lions-...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
🎉 Happy Publication Day to The Lion’s Run! 🎉
The Lion’s Run is a powerful Middle Grade Historical Fiction novel set during WWII in German-occupied France. Lucas, the main character, is a quiet, shy boy who was orphaned as a baby and now lives at the abbey orphanage. He spends his days riding his bike through the village delivering groceries—deliveries that eventually lead him to a German Lebensborn facility, where he meets a young mother and her baby boy, Felix.
That same day, Lucas also meets Alice, a British girl hiding out in an abandoned stable. When Lucas makes a brave and dangerous choice, it’s Alice who helps him survive, plan, and escape. Through their friendship, Alice teaches Lucas how to love, be selfless, and find courage he never knew he had.
This story challenges readers to think deeply about human and animal rights during wartime. One of the things I loved most was watching Lucas help the French Resistance—even while scared—because he knows it’s the right thing to do. The book raises important questions: What rights do children have? And how powerful is the bond between a mother and her child?
Thank you to @mackidsbooks and @sarapennypacker for the ARC, and to @macmillan.audio and @NetGalley for the ALC of The Lion’s Run. This was such an enjoyable hybrid reading experience.
🎧 The audiobook, narrated by Graham Halstead, was especially impressive. His smooth transitions between French and German names made for an engaging and immersive listening experience.
✨ All opinions are my own.
#MacAudio2026 #TheLionsRun #MiddleGradeHistoricalFiction 📚
The Lion’s Run is a powerful Middle Grade Historical Fiction novel set during WWII in German-occupied France. Lucas, the main character, is a quiet, shy boy who was orphaned as a baby and now lives at the abbey orphanage. He spends his days riding his bike through the village delivering groceries—deliveries that eventually lead him to a German Lebensborn facility, where he meets a young mother and her baby boy, Felix.
That same day, Lucas also meets Alice, a British girl hiding out in an abandoned stable. When Lucas makes a brave and dangerous choice, it’s Alice who helps him survive, plan, and escape. Through their friendship, Alice teaches Lucas how to love, be selfless, and find courage he never knew he had.
This story challenges readers to think deeply about human and animal rights during wartime. One of the things I loved most was watching Lucas help the French Resistance—even while scared—because he knows it’s the right thing to do. The book raises important questions: What rights do children have? And how powerful is the bond between a mother and her child?
Thank you to @mackidsbooks and @sarapennypacker for the ARC, and to @macmillan.audio and @NetGalley for the ALC of The Lion’s Run. This was such an enjoyable hybrid reading experience.
🎧 The audiobook, narrated by Graham Halstead, was especially impressive. His smooth transitions between French and German names made for an engaging and immersive listening experience.
✨ All opinions are my own.
#MacAudio2026 #TheLionsRun #MiddleGradeHistoricalFiction 📚
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Lions’ Run
By Sara Pennypacker
Narrated by Graham Halstead
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the eALC!
Lucas DuBois is an orphan in Nazi occupied France. After saving a litter of kittens, Lucas searches for a safe place for them to grow. He finds the same abandoned barn that Alice, a wealthy British girl, is hiding her horse from Nazi forces and they eventually strike a friendship. Simultaneously, Lucas is working as a page, which gives him the chance opportunity to step his toe into the Resistance.
As an avid reader of all things WWII, I snatched this up and wasn’t disappointed. Pennypacker gave a unique perspective on WWII through the eyes of a 14 year old boy. So much emotion and feeling were brought to Lucas’ character. I enjoyed watching his character grow from a “cowardly” boy into a true hero - a split decision made him a remarkable person. Also, just a change to a French viewpoint for this time period was appealing. It was a lighter read for a topic that usually can be SO heavy and seemed appropriate for the middle-grade it was intended.
While not as heavy, it was still eye-opening. Up until recently, I wasn’t aware of the Lebensborn program and Claire’s character gave a perfect example of the other horrors of WWII. There was some talk of concentration camps, but Pennypacker didn’t bear too much of that weight on readers.
I listened to this 5hr 51min audiobook on 2.4x.
By Sara Pennypacker
Narrated by Graham Halstead
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the eALC!
Lucas DuBois is an orphan in Nazi occupied France. After saving a litter of kittens, Lucas searches for a safe place for them to grow. He finds the same abandoned barn that Alice, a wealthy British girl, is hiding her horse from Nazi forces and they eventually strike a friendship. Simultaneously, Lucas is working as a page, which gives him the chance opportunity to step his toe into the Resistance.
As an avid reader of all things WWII, I snatched this up and wasn’t disappointed. Pennypacker gave a unique perspective on WWII through the eyes of a 14 year old boy. So much emotion and feeling were brought to Lucas’ character. I enjoyed watching his character grow from a “cowardly” boy into a true hero - a split decision made him a remarkable person. Also, just a change to a French viewpoint for this time period was appealing. It was a lighter read for a topic that usually can be SO heavy and seemed appropriate for the middle-grade it was intended.
While not as heavy, it was still eye-opening. Up until recently, I wasn’t aware of the Lebensborn program and Claire’s character gave a perfect example of the other horrors of WWII. There was some talk of concentration camps, but Pennypacker didn’t bear too much of that weight on readers.
I listened to this 5hr 51min audiobook on 2.4x.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews