Lucas was called a coward by other boys: nicknamed petit eclair. But this French orphan soon learns that even tiny acts of bravery—small, kind choices—can make an extraordinary difference in the face of the horrible things of life.
Lucas was called a coward by other boys: nicknamed petit eclair. But this French orphan soon learns that even tiny acts of bravery—small, kind choices—can make an extraordinary difference in the face of the horrible things of life.
Lucas DuBois has never thought of himself as bold or brave. In fact, the other orphans at the abbey call him petit éclair, pointing to his small and fragile stature.
However, it was 13-year-old Lucas’ reserved, don’t-cause-a-ruckus nature that earned him the job of delivering for the local greengrocer. And when you live in a small French town dominated by the iron-fisted control of the Nazi army, being able to ride your bike all over town is a rare treat.
One of the main reasons Lucas has been given this unique freedom is because he delivers fresh fruit and vegetables to the Lebensborn, a maternity ward where local pregnant girls are sent to give birth to babies who will someday grow into good Nazi soldiers. The Lebensborn is why Lamorlaye, this small town in the middle of nowhere, gets the kind of attention it does from the Nazi regime.
That’s not to suggest that Lucas’ life—or the town’s life, for that matter—is easy. The Nazi demands are harsh. Finding small necessities is difficult. Food is scarce. Why, even newborn kittens must be drowned because no one has any extra to feed another tiny mouth.
That, though, is where Lucas draws a line. There’s something about a batch of small, squirming and helpless kittens that plucks a chord in Lucas. They should be given a chance at life. He doesn’t fight for the small animals, but he does fish a bag of the squirming cats out the river, getting a bloodied lip from a bully in the process. And he decides to hide them away in an abandoned barn he discovered during his greengrocer travels.
However, upon reaching the barn, Lucas realizes that someone else is already there. A teen girl. And she’s hiding something of her own.
Alice is the daughter of a British racehorse trainer. And she secreted away her horse, Bia, to one of the old barn’s crumbling stalls. Alice knows that if the Nazis find Bia they’ll requisition the racing horse to fight in their war. So she’s hiding Bia and scrambling for a way to ship the horse to America.
Of course, Lucas and Alice clash over the best use of an old barn and the attention that two youths coming and going from such a barn will draw. But with time, the two become allies. And that’s good. For soon this odd pair will find themselves pulled into a dangerous underground plot involving a horse, a newborn baby and the meager but brave resistance of a small French town.
And it all starts with a cowardly boy who decides to be brave enough to save some kittens.
Lucas lives at an orphanage that’s part of a local Catholic abbey. And though faith isn’t directly discussed, there is a priest and several nuns in positions of leadership. And there are mentions of them praying. Father Gustave and several others in the church are part of a French underground movement attempting to quietly thwart the Nazi oppression without putting innocents in danger.
Father Gustave comes the closest to discussing his faith, without actually speaking of God, after Lucas asks him if he is afraid in the face of the Nazi threat. “Well, priests are human beings,” Gustave states. “But having a strong faith in what you are doing reduces fear. There is a very clear right and wrong here, so no, I’m not afraid.” The priest also notes that “all humans have the potential for both the sacred and the evil within them.”
Lucas meets a woman who hides and cares for a Jewish family. He also notices that the local greengrocer quietly funnels extra food and necessities to this caring woman without German officials noticing. So Lucas begins leaving small gifts (such as a box of lightly used colored pencils) for the young Jewish children as well.
Alice mentions that she and her father tend to skip out on church services in favor of working together at her father’s stables. “My father and I worship at the altar of horse racing,” Alice declares.
Thanks to the guidance of some of the adults in his life, Lucas begins to understand that he doesn’t have to take grand heroic stands to make a difference in the lives around him. Small acts of kindness can impact others in significant ways. That said, both Lucas and Alice make large self-sacrificial choices by the end of the story, actions that alter their paths forward.
Mme Garnier is a woman who manages the Lebensborn. We learn that she is part of the local resistance when the Nazis uncover a secret message she’s carrying. However, Lucas steps up and covers for her, stating that the note is a delivery slip written in his own special code.
Lucas and Mme Garnier become closer as they work together after that. She helps shape Lucas’ perspective on helping others. “Little termites taking tiny bites can bring down a cathedral,” Garnier proclaims. In fact, Mme Garnier begins to feel very maternal toward Lucas. (She lost her own family to the war effort.) Eventually, she declares that she wants to adopt the young teen, answering Lucas’ own deep longing for a parent in his life.
Father Gustave is kind and protective. Mme Lamar is a local woman who puts herself at risk to help those in need. She and her husband pull Lucas back, protecting him during a Nazi raid on a nearby home.
Alice tells Lucas that her father decided to stay in France rather than return to England in an effort to help care for the horses of displaced Jewish families. “He wants to keep them healthy for when they can be returned someday,” Alice states.
Lucas meets a young woman who just gave birth at the Lebensborn. She fears for her son’s future and hopes she can find him after he’s adopted by a German family.
Alice tells Lucas her thoughts on America, a place she’s never visited. “How everyone has a chance there. How you can become whatever you want if you work hard enough, no matter where you come from,” she declares.
There’s a single use of “Oh, my god!”
This is a story that takes place during the latter days of World War II. But there is still a constant sense of threat in Lamorlaye. We see Nazi forces raid a home and drag people forcefully away. Lucas gets chased and threatened by armed soldiers. We hear of a bomb that accidentally hit a racetrack, killing hundreds and “coating the track in the horses’ blood.”
Lucas sets a trap of broken bottles, hoping to blow out German vehicles’ tires. Alice tells a story of going to a pub where men nailed coins to a ceiling beam before heading off to war. And she notes how many never returned to retrieve their coins. Mme Garnier speaks of her son’s death in the war.
A nun gives some boys the job of killing a bunch of newborn kittens, and the boys attempt to drown them. Lucas gets hit in the mouth with a rock. He’s grabbed and manhandled by soldiers. Lucas switches shirts with another boy and notices scars on that boy’s back, courtesy of the boy’s abusive father.
Lucas and Alice become devoted friends, willing to sacrifice for one another. They have no romantic ties.
Have you ever wondered how brave you would be in a dangerous or scary situation? Lucas thought of himself as a coward, but he made a difference in people’s lives. Were some of his smaller choices, such as sharing with other orphans or giving away his colored pencils, still positive and brave?
What kinds of choices could you make that would make a difference for someone else? Does a choice have to be dangerous to be brave?
When asked about the scary things in this world, Father Gustave spoke of the “rightness” of his choices shielding him from fear. But he didn’t say anything about God’s protection. Take a look at Joshua 1:9. What is that verse saying about being courageous and God’s protection from fear? How does God help us “wherever we go”?
Sara Pennypacker’s The Lions’ Run is a nicely written and immersive piece of historical fiction that helps young readers get a sense of the danger and fear experienced by those living through the World War II occupation of France. At the same time, though, it keeps young readers insulated from the true bloodiness of war.
The book lauds kindness, friendship and small acts of bravery. And it encourages readers to think about how they can positively impact people in their own world.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
