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The Lions' Run

Sara Pennypacker

Ages 9–14 NYT Best Seller

Readers rate it 4.0 (2 on Hardcover)

Released Feb 3, 2026

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A note for parents

This WWII historical fiction by the acclaimed author of Pax follows a young French orphan who overcomes his fearful reputation by joining the Resistance. The novel focuses on courage, kindness, and moral choices rather than graphic combat, with age-appropriate treatment of wartime themes. While the historical setting involves war and danger, the narrative emphasizes hope and heroism through the eyes of children and young people making brave decisions.

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From the publisher

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 reput... 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 him: 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.

Shelved under

  • Juvenile Fiction
  • Young Adult
  • Fiction
  • historical
  • historical fiction
  • 20th century

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ISBN 9781250392817 · Balzer & Bray/Harperteen