The Lions’ Run

Gr 6 Up–Orphan Lucas DuBois, named for the woods where he was discovered as an infant, now lives with other boys in an abbey in Lamorlaye, France. Teased mercilessly by the other boys, who call him “Petit Éclair” for his small size and quiet manner, Lucas occasionally escapes the abbey to fish and do chores in order to earn money and scraps of food. It is 1944, and the Nazis have at this point been occupying France for four years, taking the best buildings, land, food, and horses for themselves while conscripting young Frenchmen to be hard laborers back in Germany. Lucas longs for freedom from the occupation as well as a chance to show his bravery, but he hasn’t yet steeled himself to act. Then, on one of his outings, Lucas enters an abandoned barn where he encounters Alice, the wealthy daughter of a horse trainer, who is hiding her horse in the barn until she can arrange for escape abroad. Lucas and Alice’s instant bond fortifies them to take action against the occupation: carrying messages for the Resistance, helping a family to hide some Jewish children, and even arranging daring rescues. Through Lucas’s eyes, readers experience terror and heroism in a time of war, and the prose gallops along with authenticity and incredible suspense. The final chapters fly by, barreling to an unexpected conclusion. An author’s note distinguishes the factual elements of the narrative from the fictional ones.