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Rescue
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen comes a thrilling World War II story of espionage and intrigue, as one girl races to save her father and aid the French resistance. Six hundred and fifty-seven days ago, Meg Kenyon's father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time Meg saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, a terrible sentence from which Meg fears he'll never return. All she has left of him are the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, an affectionate game the two of them shared. But the codes are running low, and soon there'll be nothing left of Papa for Meg to hold on to at all. Suddenly, an impossible chance to save her father falls into Meg's lap. After following a trail of blood in the snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother's barn. Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided across Nazi-occupied France to neutral Spain, whereupon one of them has promised to free Meg's father. Captain Stewart was meant to take that family on their journey, but too injured to complete the task himself, he offers it to Meg, along with a final code from Papa to help complete the mission -- perhaps the most important, and most difficult, riddle she's received yet. As the Nazis flood Meg's village in fierce pursuit, she accepts the duty and begins the trek across France. Leading strangers through treacherous territory, Meg faces danger and uncertainty at every turn, all the while struggling to crack her father's code. The message, as she unravels it, reveals secrets costly enough to risk the mission and even her own life. Can Meg solve the puzzle, rescue the family, and save her father?
400 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2021
282 people are currently reading
4374 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer A. Nielsen
53 books9,604 followersJennifer lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a naughty puppy. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. She is a former speech teacher, theater director, and enjoyed a brief but disastrous career as a door-to-door pollster. In her spare time, Jennifer tends to panic, wondering what she has forgotten to do that has allowed her any spare time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 500 reviews
March 2, 2022
Characters: Meg was a well-developed character. She was brave and determined, but she realistically didn't always have the right answers or know what to do.
Language: Clean.
Moral: This book contained themes of family, sacrifice, and courage.
Plot: Plenty of close calls and suspense kept the plot moving.
Random comments: Two men who had disappeared and were rumored to be gay were described as maybe being "romantically involved." This bothered me because there's nothing romantic about being gay. It's a sin. However, this was only two lines out of the whole story.
Romance: Clean. This story didn't contain a romance plot.
Writing: Jennifer Nielsen's writing worked well for this book. She writes in such a way that the story doesn't get bogged down with lots of description, but she also uses enough description so that things make sense.
Overall: Rescue was an exciting book, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy clean fiction, middle-grade novels, and historical suspense.
Language: Clean.
Moral: This book contained themes of family, sacrifice, and courage.
Plot: Plenty of close calls and suspense kept the plot moving.
Random comments: Two men who had disappeared and were rumored to be gay were described as maybe being "romantically involved." This bothered me because there's nothing romantic about being gay. It's a sin. However, this was only two lines out of the whole story.
Romance: Clean. This story didn't contain a romance plot.
Writing: Jennifer Nielsen's writing worked well for this book. She writes in such a way that the story doesn't get bogged down with lots of description, but she also uses enough description so that things make sense.
Overall: Rescue was an exciting book, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy clean fiction, middle-grade novels, and historical suspense.
June 5, 2021
Rescue by Jennifer A. Nielsen, New York Times bestselling author thrilling World War II story of espionage and intrigue, as one girl races to save her father and aid the French resistance. I'm adding this title to my books I've read by this author. I like her writing style and character development and have come to expect a quality story of historical fiction especially about World War II.
Summary: Meg Kenyon's father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time she saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, and Meg fears he'll never return. Suddenly, a chance to save her father falls into her lap. After following a trail of blood in the snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother's barn. Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided across Nazi-occupied France to neutral Spain, whereupon one of them has promised to free Meg's father. Captain Stewart was meant to take that family on their journey, but too injured to complete the task himself, he offers it to Meg, along with a final code from Papa, a sort of game between them to sharpen their coding skills, to help complete the mission -- perhaps the most important, and most difficult, riddle she's received yet. As the Nazis flood Meg's village in fierce pursuit, she accepts the duty and begins the trek across France. Leading strangers through treacherous territory, Meg faces danger and uncertainty at every turn, all the while struggling to crack her father's code. The message, as she unravels it, reveals secrets costly enough to risk the mission and even her own life. Can Meg solve the puzzle, rescue the family, and save her father?
Summary: Meg Kenyon's father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time she saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, and Meg fears he'll never return. Suddenly, a chance to save her father falls into her lap. After following a trail of blood in the snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother's barn. Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided across Nazi-occupied France to neutral Spain, whereupon one of them has promised to free Meg's father. Captain Stewart was meant to take that family on their journey, but too injured to complete the task himself, he offers it to Meg, along with a final code from Papa, a sort of game between them to sharpen their coding skills, to help complete the mission -- perhaps the most important, and most difficult, riddle she's received yet. As the Nazis flood Meg's village in fierce pursuit, she accepts the duty and begins the trek across France. Leading strangers through treacherous territory, Meg faces danger and uncertainty at every turn, all the while struggling to crack her father's code. The message, as she unravels it, reveals secrets costly enough to risk the mission and even her own life. Can Meg solve the puzzle, rescue the family, and save her father?
November 17, 2022
I enjoyed this story as a MG historical fiction book. While the protagonist is represented well for her age in her responses to fear-inducing situations, I found her to be too young for some of this storyline. If I imagined her as 15 or 16 instead of 12, this story worked better for me. While this plotline did not appeal to me as much as the plot of Resistance, I found this story and characters more engaging.
February 22, 2021
Meg Kenyon may be young, but she is already doing what she can to help the Resistance fighters hiding near her grandmere's farm. When her mother gets hurt and an injured British spy takes refuge in their barn on the same night, Meg is recruited for a dangerous mission. She will lead a family of three out of France to safety and gain her father's release from a prison camp in Germany. This book is nonstop action and filled with difficult decisions. As Nielsen points out in her Author's Notes, the fascination with WW II history is in part due to our wonderings about what we would have done had we been in their shoes. Would we have been able to glean clues from this note that Meg received from her father?
Dearest wife, Daisy, and Mom: One day I'll return,
you'll see. Not hing c an stop me from climbing to
you. Watch perfect ly as
t he sadness becomes numb.
Remember my smiles, brightened under tender
skies by t he sea. Straighten t he spine, Daisy.
Take courage, even when hurting , have fait h until
t his batt le
ends. Until t hen, be c alm.
Regards,
Rosbif
Throughout the book, we see Meg gaining new insights into the clues hidden in this note. At times she despairs of clues that seem to have been discovered a bit too late. Or are they? One thing she does not do is to give up. You will root for Meg and her fellow travelers. You may also need some tissues at the end. I did. Highly recommended!
Thank you to Scholastic Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Dearest wife, Daisy, and Mom: One day I'll return,
you'll see. Not hing c an stop me from climbing to
you. Watch perfect ly as
t he sadness becomes numb.
Remember my smiles, brightened under tender
skies by t he sea. Straighten t he spine, Daisy.
Take courage, even when hurting , have fait h until
t his batt le
ends. Until t hen, be c alm.
Regards,
Rosbif
Throughout the book, we see Meg gaining new insights into the clues hidden in this note. At times she despairs of clues that seem to have been discovered a bit too late. Or are they? One thing she does not do is to give up. You will root for Meg and her fellow travelers. You may also need some tissues at the end. I did. Highly recommended!
Thank you to Scholastic Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
April 6, 2021
This book was actually quite good. Just bare in mind that this book is aimed at primary school children and there are times that is more than obvious. If you keep that in mind you will really enjoy this book.
The author manages to convey the sense of loss and desperation that children must have felt during the war. It also demonstrates that no matter how bad things are there are people that will always put others before themselves.
The author manages to convey the sense of loss and desperation that children must have felt during the war. It also demonstrates that no matter how bad things are there are people that will always put others before themselves.
October 14, 2022
OH wow. . . .just WOW. Jennifer Nielson has done it again. I fell in love with Meg and Jakob, and was captured in my own world by the beautiful writing. I will definitely read this again, and mayhap out loud to my brother who loves adventure. Who knows what the future has in store.
Be ready to cry, and gasp, and smile your way through this book.
Second time--
read aloud to little bro, and he ADORED IT!!! I even got teary-eyed at the end... again.
Be ready to cry, and gasp, and smile your way through this book.
Second time--
read aloud to little bro, and he ADORED IT!!! I even got teary-eyed at the end... again.
will-not-read
January 21, 2023Added to my "will-never-read" shelf. See Kristina Hall's review for the reason.
January 26, 2023
This book was a page turner! I highly recommend!
March 6, 2021
My package arrived this morning and I read this book in one sitting! (Which was all day...but who cares!) It was so good, and I learned a lot about the life of spies and the S.O.E. during WWII. It really put into perspective how difficult it was to survive at the time, and how so many people had so much courage, no matter how old they were. I really respect that, and I think that those heroes were honoured and respected in this book as well. Now I definitely want to do more research on this myself!
Something else I loved about this book was that it did not shy away from the grey areas between “right” and “wrong” for the characters. No one was perfect, and people made choices that they thought were best for them and their family, even if it wasn’t necessarily the right thing to do, and talked about how that influenced the perception of their actions when someone would look back on them in the future. That was really thought provoking and made me think about how people are driven to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do during a crisis. These moments were portrayed in a way that the characters did not like it, but they were able to understand that desperation too. I really liked seeing that; it was more realistic than just clear sides of good and evil.
One more thing before I share some quotes I liked! The historical accuracy was great; the map really helped, and I actually did Google if there was a lunar eclipse...and there was! That just made it seem all the more real. Good job there, Mrs. Nielsen!
There were some quotes I really loved, too. Be careful, because there will be spoilers:
And of course, some sarcastic and sassy quotes that we all love to see from Jennifer Nielsen:
Congratulations on Rescue and 20 books Jennifer, I can’t wait to read more from you!
Something else I loved about this book was that it did not shy away from the grey areas between “right” and “wrong” for the characters. No one was perfect, and people made choices that they thought were best for them and their family, even if it wasn’t necessarily the right thing to do, and talked about how that influenced the perception of their actions when someone would look back on them in the future. That was really thought provoking and made me think about how people are driven to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do during a crisis. These moments were portrayed in a way that the characters did not like it, but they were able to understand that desperation too. I really liked seeing that; it was more realistic than just clear sides of good and evil.
One more thing before I share some quotes I liked! The historical accuracy was great; the map really helped, and I actually did Google if there was a lunar eclipse...and there was! That just made it seem all the more real. Good job there, Mrs. Nielsen!
There were some quotes I really loved, too. Be careful, because there will be spoilers:
And of course, some sarcastic and sassy quotes that we all love to see from Jennifer Nielsen:
Congratulations on Rescue and 20 books Jennifer, I can’t wait to read more from you!
April 17, 2024
A suspenseful and dynamic WWII novel, 'Rescue' delivers an exciting storyline filled with secret codes, shifting loyalties, and daring missions. The plot is very engaging and kept me really involved in the story. Several thrilling plot twists are employed to lift the suspense to a higher plane in this novel. Solidly defined characterization instills dynamic levels of intrigue and adds dimension to the plot. Providing for some page-turning moments, the nonstop action drives the reader right to the elegant ending. 'Rescue' is a delightfully thrilling novel that will keep readers engaged as they follow the story's courageous heroine on her dangerous trek across the treacherous territory of Nazi-occupied France.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 4/5)
Fundamentals: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📈 Plot: 4.5/5
— 📝 Writing: 4/5
— 👥 Characters: 4/5
Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)
— 🤬 Language: 0/5
— ⚔️ Violence: 0/5
— ⚠️ S*xual: 1/5
•just one sentence that
mentions two men being
"romantically involved" (in
the context of who [i.e.,
Jews, Gypsies, other non-
Ariyan ethnic groups, and
the mentally unstable] Hitler
wanted to exterminate by
sending these "inferiors" to
concentration camps; in this
case homosexuals
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 4/5)
Fundamentals: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📈 Plot: 4.5/5
— 📝 Writing: 4/5
— 👥 Characters: 4/5
Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)
— 🤬 Language: 0/5
— ⚔️ Violence: 0/5
— ⚠️ S*xual: 1/5
•just one sentence that
mentions two men being
"romantically involved" (in
the context of who [i.e.,
Jews, Gypsies, other non-
Ariyan ethnic groups, and
the mentally unstable] Hitler
wanted to exterminate by
sending these "inferiors" to
concentration camps; in this
case homosexuals
Read
February 27, 2022Did I just finish that in one day?? Yes. Yes, I did. 😂
Oh my!!!! That story was beautiful!!! I adored every minute of it from the heart breaking, emotional scenes, to the screaming, action packed ones! This book was incredible!!!
Meg was a very interesting MC and I loved seeing the war, heartache, and tragedy through the eyes of a twelve year old. She was so young but so old for her age. And, of course, Jacob was pure awesomeness!!
I won't lie, all of the spy elements in this book had me wanting to trade places with Meg!! (I definitely want my own spy manual! 😎) It was SO cool!! A turnip that exploded?? I won't give anything away so I'll stop there but if you haven't read this book then you definitely NEED to!!!
Oh my!!!! That story was beautiful!!! I adored every minute of it from the heart breaking, emotional scenes, to the screaming, action packed ones! This book was incredible!!!
Meg was a very interesting MC and I loved seeing the war, heartache, and tragedy through the eyes of a twelve year old. She was so young but so old for her age. And, of course, Jacob was pure awesomeness!!
I won't lie, all of the spy elements in this book had me wanting to trade places with Meg!! (I definitely want my own spy manual! 😎) It was SO cool!! A turnip that exploded?? I won't give anything away so I'll stop there but if you haven't read this book then you definitely NEED to!!!
December 1, 2020
Another fantastic and suspenseful read by Nielsen! I was hooked from beginning to end with Meg's story. Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC.
October 21, 2021
Loved this!! I'm just gonna give up and say great book!!!!
July 7, 2024
This book is really intense. I liked that there was a lot of mystery in it.
May 26, 2021
I really love Jennifer A Nielsen’s historical fiction novels. This book was good, but not my favorite of hers. The plot stretched the line of believability for me and I could not quite get past it enough to really enjoy the book.
I understand it is written for a middle-grade audience. However, having read a LOT of middle-grade fiction, I couldn’t get around the stilted dialogue or decisions of the main characters.
I understand it is written for a middle-grade audience. However, having read a LOT of middle-grade fiction, I couldn’t get around the stilted dialogue or decisions of the main characters.
February 3, 2021
MG historical fiction. Suspenseful and full of detail.
March 11, 2021
I listened to the audible edition of this book and was totally riveted. It's written for middle graders but I was enthralled from the very start. The author does a great job of depicting life in occupied France. Adventure fraught with danger and the incredible courage of ordinary people who do extraoridnary things.
July 30, 2021
We love love her books.
Kids actually ask to listen as soon as we get into the car.
I only wish they were longer. My kids always say to rush at the end.
Stories of courage and bravery. 5 stars from them.
Kids actually ask to listen as soon as we get into the car.
I only wish they were longer. My kids always say to rush at the end.
Stories of courage and bravery. 5 stars from them.
March 18, 2024
Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: World War II, antisemitism, self-sacrifice and death of a person, military violence and war themes
Score: Seven out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.
It's here. It's finally here. I wanted to read Rescue for months, but someone transferred it before I could. Months later, I transferred it back to a library I visited so I could pick it up, and then I glanced at the blurb, which made it seem like an intriguing and enjoyable story about secret codes set in WWII. I liked this one.
Trigger warnings: World War II, antisemitism, self-sacrifice and death of a person, military violence and war themes
Score: Seven out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.
It's here. It's finally here. I wanted to read Rescue for months, but someone transferred it before I could. Months later, I transferred it back to a library I visited so I could pick it up, and then I glanced at the blurb, which made it seem like an intriguing and enjoyable story about secret codes set in WWII. I liked this one.
July 19, 2025
A World War II story of espionage and intrigue, as one girl races to save her father and aid the French resistance? Yes, please!
I picked this up to preread, knowing my oldest (9) loves spy stories, ciphers, and codes—and I was hooked from the start. I even put aside my own stack to focus on this suspenseful read.
That said, around the halfway point, my interest started to wane as parts of the story stretched beyond believability. And at one point, I was also discouraged by a line that felt unnecessary when Meg, the main character, reflects:
“Others had disappeared too. A Roma family who’d lived in the forests. Even two men in our town, because it was rumored they were romantically involved.”
While I understand the historical context, I think other examples could have been used in a book written for children as young as 8. I’m not sure if examples or slight mentions like this are common in Nielsen’s other books, but I plan to preread more as she comes highly recommended.
Still, this was a compelling story of courage, perseverance, and how in times of war there are moments when there simply are no good choices. There were a few brief moments of faith like “prayed the worst was over,” but no clear spiritual threads.
🍎 Written for grades 3–7. I recommend prereading to decide if it’s a good fit for your family or young independent reader. There are intense moments of hiding, pursuit, and bombings, but nothing graphic.
I picked this up to preread, knowing my oldest (9) loves spy stories, ciphers, and codes—and I was hooked from the start. I even put aside my own stack to focus on this suspenseful read.
That said, around the halfway point, my interest started to wane as parts of the story stretched beyond believability. And at one point, I was also discouraged by a line that felt unnecessary when Meg, the main character, reflects:
“Others had disappeared too. A Roma family who’d lived in the forests. Even two men in our town, because it was rumored they were romantically involved.”
While I understand the historical context, I think other examples could have been used in a book written for children as young as 8. I’m not sure if examples or slight mentions like this are common in Nielsen’s other books, but I plan to preread more as she comes highly recommended.
Still, this was a compelling story of courage, perseverance, and how in times of war there are moments when there simply are no good choices. There were a few brief moments of faith like “prayed the worst was over,” but no clear spiritual threads.
🍎 Written for grades 3–7. I recommend prereading to decide if it’s a good fit for your family or young independent reader. There are intense moments of hiding, pursuit, and bombings, but nothing graphic.
March 30, 2021
It's February 1942 and Meg Kenyon, 12, is living on her Grandmère's farm with her French mother in Nazi occupied France. She hasn't seen her English-born dad since he left in May 1940 after receiving a telegram from London and Meg believes he has been imprisoned by the Nazis, if he is even still alive. Before he left, he created a jar full of coded messages for her to solve - deciphering each other's coded messages was something they both enjoyed doing. Now, however, there was only one message left and Meg has been putting off solving it.
Meg has also been selling some of the vegetables from Grandmère's farm on the black market while secretly working for the resistance. When she unscrambles a message from them that reads Follow the German, Meg knows just who that is - newly arrived Lieutenant Becker, friendly upfront, cold-blooded underneath. And unfortunately, he now knows Meg's face now, after he figures out she was following him.
But Lieutenant Becker is temporarily forgotten about when Meg gets home and finds a badly wounded British officer, Captain Henry Stewart, in the barn, who claims to know Meg's father. After much sneaking around to help Captain Stewart, it turns out that he was on a rescue mission which he can no longer carry out. That's not all Meg discovers - it seems her mother has been working as a secret radio operator for the resistance.
It turns out that the rescue mission Captain Stewart parachuted into France to carry out involved three Germans, Albert, Liesel, and Jakob, posing as a family named Durand. Since Captain Stewart is too injured to carry out his mission, it is decided that Meg would lead the Durands to Spain and safety. Before she leaves, she is given a note from her father that Captain Stewart delivered, written in coded language. The next day Meg finds the Durands hiding in a cave where she also finds Captain Stewart's backpack full of spy paraphernalia and a warning not let anyone see what's in it. Fortunately, Meg was told that there are resistance workers along the way who are aware of the mission and can provide some assistance, but for the most part, the four are on their own.
As if their journey weren't difficult enough, Lieutenant Becker is on Meg's trail, suspecting her of resistance work. And just as they get to the point where they should head to Spain, Meg solves her father's message and insists they go to Switzerland instead. But why? And why would he say not to trust one of the "Durands" and which one?
Rescue is an exciting book, full of mystery, intrigue, danger, and betrayal. It's the kind of book my today self thinks is at time preposterous yet I know my 11/12-year-old-self would have hung on every word and every moment of danger. But my today self also knows that codes and ciphers were very popular during WWII, so it isn't surprising that Meg and her dad have their fun with them. Would I let a 12-year-old do what Meg is asked to do? Not a chance, but during the war, kids did this and more.
Captain Stewart was part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), as was Meg's father, and he arrived in France with his bag of spy tools, including a spy manual, which Meg refers to often. I liked that Nielsen used the rules from the book for some of her chapter headings. Since they worked in so well with what happens in the chapters they head, I suspect it was a made up book, but fun nevertheless.
Nielsen has included a section called Secret Codes at the end of the novel for readers intrigued by them that includes all kinds of different codes they can try. I was one of those geeky kids who loved codes and secret languages growing up and still have a fascination for them.* There is also a section called The Special Operations Executive for readers unfamiliar with this organization created by Winston Churchill in 1940.
Rescue is an exiting book that should appeal to anyone who likes historical fiction about WWII that includes plenty of adventure and danger.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from Edelweiss+
*I'm pretty sure my fascination with codes and coding is how I ended up in Information Technology, creating programs and teaching kids and adults about computers.
Meg has also been selling some of the vegetables from Grandmère's farm on the black market while secretly working for the resistance. When she unscrambles a message from them that reads Follow the German, Meg knows just who that is - newly arrived Lieutenant Becker, friendly upfront, cold-blooded underneath. And unfortunately, he now knows Meg's face now, after he figures out she was following him.
But Lieutenant Becker is temporarily forgotten about when Meg gets home and finds a badly wounded British officer, Captain Henry Stewart, in the barn, who claims to know Meg's father. After much sneaking around to help Captain Stewart, it turns out that he was on a rescue mission which he can no longer carry out. That's not all Meg discovers - it seems her mother has been working as a secret radio operator for the resistance.
It turns out that the rescue mission Captain Stewart parachuted into France to carry out involved three Germans, Albert, Liesel, and Jakob, posing as a family named Durand. Since Captain Stewart is too injured to carry out his mission, it is decided that Meg would lead the Durands to Spain and safety. Before she leaves, she is given a note from her father that Captain Stewart delivered, written in coded language. The next day Meg finds the Durands hiding in a cave where she also finds Captain Stewart's backpack full of spy paraphernalia and a warning not let anyone see what's in it. Fortunately, Meg was told that there are resistance workers along the way who are aware of the mission and can provide some assistance, but for the most part, the four are on their own.
As if their journey weren't difficult enough, Lieutenant Becker is on Meg's trail, suspecting her of resistance work. And just as they get to the point where they should head to Spain, Meg solves her father's message and insists they go to Switzerland instead. But why? And why would he say not to trust one of the "Durands" and which one?
Rescue is an exciting book, full of mystery, intrigue, danger, and betrayal. It's the kind of book my today self thinks is at time preposterous yet I know my 11/12-year-old-self would have hung on every word and every moment of danger. But my today self also knows that codes and ciphers were very popular during WWII, so it isn't surprising that Meg and her dad have their fun with them. Would I let a 12-year-old do what Meg is asked to do? Not a chance, but during the war, kids did this and more.
Captain Stewart was part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), as was Meg's father, and he arrived in France with his bag of spy tools, including a spy manual, which Meg refers to often. I liked that Nielsen used the rules from the book for some of her chapter headings. Since they worked in so well with what happens in the chapters they head, I suspect it was a made up book, but fun nevertheless.
Nielsen has included a section called Secret Codes at the end of the novel for readers intrigued by them that includes all kinds of different codes they can try. I was one of those geeky kids who loved codes and secret languages growing up and still have a fascination for them.* There is also a section called The Special Operations Executive for readers unfamiliar with this organization created by Winston Churchill in 1940.
Rescue is an exiting book that should appeal to anyone who likes historical fiction about WWII that includes plenty of adventure and danger.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from Edelweiss+
*I'm pretty sure my fascination with codes and coding is how I ended up in Information Technology, creating programs and teaching kids and adults about computers.
March 12, 2021
DNF I have really appreciated Nielsen's other middle-grade historical fiction, and the French Resistance fighters were incredible -- so I was looking forward to her take on the topic.
Unfortunately, this book just didn't work. Plot elements strained credulity -- and, yes, I understand that the book was written for a younger audience. (Oh! And the audio was just dreadful. The main character was raised in France with a British father and a French mother, and three other main characters were German. So why did the reader (who had an American English accent) give some of the characters (really bad) accents, but others had no accents?)
Anyway, I gave up. I have just too many other good books on my to-read list right now. And, honestly, don't take this review as an indicator of her other writing. Here are her other better ones to look at -- again, these are written for a middle-grade audience, so they do gloss over some things:
Words on Fire
A Night Divided
Resistance
Here are a couple of other middle grade books to check out by different authors:
Girl in the Blue Coat
Someone Named Eva -- this one just hasn't gotten enough reads, but you'll probably want to read at the same time bc of its subject matter.
When My Name Was Keoko
Morris Gleitzman Collection 5 Books Set: this is a series
And, of course: Number the Stars
Unfortunately, this book just didn't work. Plot elements strained credulity -- and, yes, I understand that the book was written for a younger audience. (Oh! And the audio was just dreadful. The main character was raised in France with a British father and a French mother, and three other main characters were German. So why did the reader (who had an American English accent) give some of the characters (really bad) accents, but others had no accents?)
Anyway, I gave up. I have just too many other good books on my to-read list right now. And, honestly, don't take this review as an indicator of her other writing. Here are her other better ones to look at -- again, these are written for a middle-grade audience, so they do gloss over some things:
Words on Fire
A Night Divided
Resistance
Here are a couple of other middle grade books to check out by different authors:
Girl in the Blue Coat
Someone Named Eva -- this one just hasn't gotten enough reads, but you'll probably want to read at the same time bc of its subject matter.
When My Name Was Keoko
Morris Gleitzman Collection 5 Books Set: this is a series
And, of course: Number the Stars
June 15, 2021
RESCUE is a tale of dauntless courage, family bonds, and spy codes, told in Nielsen's easy and nostalgic writing style.
If you enjoyed any of Nielsen's other historical fiction books, you'll see lots of running threads in this one. A young female protagonist, usually set in World War II, with lots of action and gripping moments.
Simply put—this was a fun read! The twists were twisty, and I especially didn't see the whole thing with the code and the real traitor/villain in their midst coming. I admired the main character and her perseverance and maturity, despite her young age.
However, I didn't feel like the other characters were quite as developed as they could've been. Jakob seemed very similar to other male friend characters in Nielsen's historical works. And Alfred seemed a bit flat. I wasn't sure of his motivations. I think Liesel was the most developed out of the three.
I also felt like the ending was too fast—it wrapped up everything way too quickly, and it almost felt unrealistic. But maybe that's just me.
Despite those two little things, I really enjoyed RESCUE (especially that meaning behind the title. :D)! Nielsen's historical works continue to be compelling and action-packed, which makes it perfect for historical-fiction-loving middle-grade readers. :)
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review AND a signed hardback copy from the author herself (I won a giveaway). All opinions are my own.
If you enjoyed any of Nielsen's other historical fiction books, you'll see lots of running threads in this one. A young female protagonist, usually set in World War II, with lots of action and gripping moments.
Simply put—this was a fun read! The twists were twisty, and I especially didn't see the whole thing with the code and the real traitor/villain in their midst coming. I admired the main character and her perseverance and maturity, despite her young age.
However, I didn't feel like the other characters were quite as developed as they could've been. Jakob seemed very similar to other male friend characters in Nielsen's historical works. And Alfred seemed a bit flat. I wasn't sure of his motivations. I think Liesel was the most developed out of the three.
I also felt like the ending was too fast—it wrapped up everything way too quickly, and it almost felt unrealistic. But maybe that's just me.
Despite those two little things, I really enjoyed RESCUE (especially that meaning behind the title. :D)! Nielsen's historical works continue to be compelling and action-packed, which makes it perfect for historical-fiction-loving middle-grade readers. :)
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review AND a signed hardback copy from the author herself (I won a giveaway). All opinions are my own.
May 21, 2025
I've read most of Jennifer Nielsen's books as they have come out and have really enjoyed them. I didn't love this one as much. It was too much like a "Catch Me If You Can" movie. There were spies during the war and crazy things did happen - I just couldn't get to the point of feeling like this one was authentic. The fact that Meg was only 12 years old and was able to fool so many people, crack codes, use explosives, cause avalanches, know the terrain to Switzerland....it was just too much.
May2025: May2025: We read this book for grade 3 book club this month. Students really loved it. We played a Quizlet Live game and they really knew their stuff! One student said, "I just have one question that my mom and Siri both didn't know the answer to....what is a holocaust?" I wondered if her mom really didn't know. She is someone who is new to Canada so maybe in the country they came from they don't know about the Jewish Holocaust? Or maybe her mom just didn't want to get into it. This book does a great job of telling the story of WWII without getting into the awfulness of the Holocaust.
I enjoyed this book much more the second time.
May2025: May2025: We read this book for grade 3 book club this month. Students really loved it. We played a Quizlet Live game and they really knew their stuff! One student said, "I just have one question that my mom and Siri both didn't know the answer to....what is a holocaust?" I wondered if her mom really didn't know. She is someone who is new to Canada so maybe in the country they came from they don't know about the Jewish Holocaust? Or maybe her mom just didn't want to get into it. This book does a great job of telling the story of WWII without getting into the awfulness of the Holocaust.
I enjoyed this book much more the second time.
September 12, 2021
France & Switzerland - March 1942
This is about a girl trying to save her father and make a difference against the German forces. The story involves a lot of travel and some action and suspense. It's also sad. I understand the reasons for what the characters did, but it's unfortunate that they were in the positions they were in. Overall, there is a happy ending.
This is about a girl trying to save her father and make a difference against the German forces. The story involves a lot of travel and some action and suspense. It's also sad. I understand the reasons for what the characters did, but it's unfortunate that they were in the positions they were in. Overall, there is a happy ending.
August 28, 2022
This was a great book. I love WWII historical fiction novels and this one was like icing on the cake.
August 22, 2023
Wow, this was quite the story!!
I liked:
-It was intense to the end!
-The character relationships were wonderful!
-All the plot-twists were hinted at, so they made sense instead of completely coming out of the blue.
I thought that:
-Meg should’ve been older. Her character was way beyond a 12-year-old
-I wish that not all of the chapters ended on a cliffhanger. Its a good writing tactic, but made it difficult to find a stopping spot as a reader. 😜
Overall, I really liked this book! It was engaging and interesting. Though it did not seem quite as rich in research as Resistance, it still seemed very accurate.
It was an enjoyable read!
I liked:
-It was intense to the end!
-The character relationships were wonderful!
-All the plot-twists were hinted at, so they made sense instead of completely coming out of the blue.
I thought that:
-Meg should’ve been older. Her character was way beyond a 12-year-old
-I wish that not all of the chapters ended on a cliffhanger. Its a good writing tactic, but made it difficult to find a stopping spot as a reader. 😜
Overall, I really liked this book! It was engaging and interesting. Though it did not seem quite as rich in research as Resistance, it still seemed very accurate.
It was an enjoyable read!
January 20, 2024
Fast Paced
An outstanding book that I really enjoyed!
It was a spy mission through the eyes of a child, which was simply different than most of what I’ve read before.
The pace was incredibly fast and kept me hanging onto every syllable.
A fantastic book.
I highly recommend it
An outstanding book that I really enjoyed!
It was a spy mission through the eyes of a child, which was simply different than most of what I’ve read before.
The pace was incredibly fast and kept me hanging onto every syllable.
A fantastic book.
I highly recommend it
July 10, 2023
A lot more intense than I thought!! Was reading to see if I wanted to use it for a classroom read aloud and think my kids would love it!!
March 15, 2024
It was SO GOOD!!!!!
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