Pennypacker, Sara. Lions’ Run, The. Jon Klassen, Illus. Balzer + Bray, 02/2026. 288pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-2503-9281-7. GRADES 3–6. OUTSTANDING.
Pennypacker delivers action, suspense, and emotional tension in her historical fiction, set in Nazi-occupied France in 1944. Orphan Louis Dubois rescues a bag of drowning kittens and stores them in a barn where he encounters Alice, a strong-willed British girl, hiding her thoroughbred horse in the same place. A friendship develops between the two as Louis keeps up his post as a delivery boy for the local grocer. His deliveries allow him to enter the Lebensborn, a literal Nazi breeding ground for birthing future Nazis from unwed young women. Louis becomes a messenger for the Resistance and befriends one of the mothers, who believes she can reunite with her baby. A perilous plan, a horse, a stolen baby, and a gripping ending highlight the humanity of this story. Pennypacker brings to light the Lebensborn, a more unknown part of WWII, in an undidactic tone. Readers will be rooting for Louis, the quintessential underdog. A perfect fit for fans of The War That Saved My Life (Bradley, Dial, 2015) and Max in the House of Spies (Gidwitz, Dutton, 2024). Includes a map and author’s note.
Yesica Hurd—Berkeley Public Library