Skip to main content

Hero on a Bicycle

By



Hero on a Bicycle
by Shirley Hughes
Candlewick, 2013.  213 pgs.  Historical Fiction

     Shirley Hughes is well known, and well-beloved, for her picture books for children.  Hero on a Bicycle is her first novel, and it's a corker.  Inspired by her own post-WWII visit to Florence, Italy, and an English/Italian family she met there, Hughes' story considers the Crivelli family, especially Paolo, whose father has left home to join the Partisans who as a resistance movement are fighting the Nazis as they occupy Italy.  Everyone in Italy has to be careful not to rile or defy their occupiers, but the Crivelli's especially, since there mother is English, from a land openly at war with the Germans.  Still, Paolo sneaks out most every night to ride his beloved bicycle through the darkened countryside, just to satisfy his need for adventure outside the household of women--his mother, his sister, their housekeeper. When Paolo runs afoul of the Partisans, and then gets in their good graces, his need for danger and excitement is fully satisfied and then some. Hughes' novel is a great adventure story, but is also historically accurate and finely nuanced.  One young German man helps the Crivelli family; one of the sons of their rich Italian neighbors is a traitor to his country. Hughes shows briefly some of the horrors and deep sorrows of war, so this book is recommended for older elementary students and teens.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

By
Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San
Post a Comment
Read more

Display: Dino-mite Reads

By
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Enigma Girls

By
  The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma
Post a Comment
Read more