By Sara Pennypacker
New York: Balzer + Bray, 2026. Fiction. 288 pgs.
13-year-old Lucas Dubois grew up in the abbey orphanage in the French village of Lamorlaye. Even as a young boy, Lucas never had a lot of friends. Called petit éclair by the other abbey boys for his soft disposition, Lucas rescues a litter of kittens from being drowned at the beginning of the novel. It's World War II, Lamorlaye is under Nazi occupation and food is scarce. But still, Lucas can't bear to see the kittens killed so he sneaks them away to a deserted stable where he meets Alice, a wealthy British girl who is hiding her racehorse from the Nazis. Meeting Alice, who is defiant of the Nazi orders, and Lucas' own small act of resistance, saving the kittens, emboldens him to take another risk -- Lucas becomes a messenger for the French resistance. His job as a greengrocer delivery boy enables him to move through the village freely, including accessing the Lebensborn clinic where teen mothers give birth to the babies of Nazi soliders.
This historical fiction novel is tightly paced and perfectly planned. A full cast of characters each have a particular role in this story of resistance. There are so many middle grade novels set during World War II, that it is hard to imagine a new one standing out, but the sitting of this book is so richly realized that readers will be eager to dive into it. Add a healthy dose of adventure, espionage, and a daring escape and tween readers will fall in love with this novel. Lucas' guiding force through this novel is an adage from one of the sisters at the abbey "little termites taking tiny bites can bring down a cathedral," a timely message for readers growing up.
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