It is 1944 in France, and young Lucas is an orphan living in an abbey in a village occupied by the Germans.
One day, he hears Sister Marie-Agnes shouting in the abbey’s shed. The tabby cat has given birth to kittens, and she wants them gone. Two boys are already loading the kittens into a sack. Lucas knows exactly what will happen next. He follows them to the bridge, watching as they gather rocks to weigh the sack down. It’s two against one – boys used to fighting – while Lucas is known for running from trouble. When the sack is thrown into the water, he acts, rushing forward to save them.
He rides hard up into the hills with the kittens and hides them in an old, unused stable, determined to keep them alive. Yet he berates himself for not confronting the boys. His nickname, Petit Éclair, still stings – a name given after he refused to play war games with the others.
As he kneels to open the sack and free the mewing kittens, a sudden whinny startles him. Turning, he sees a majestic mahogany-coloured horse watching from its stall. Moments later, a girl named Alice enters, carrying hay.
From this encounter grows a quiet friendship – and a shared plan: to protect the kittens and to save the horse from being taken by the Germans for the war effort.
As Lucas navigates life under occupation, making his bicycle deliveries and guarding their secret, he begins to realise that others, too, are hiding things of their own.
This book has the feel of a modern classic. Sara Pennypacker brings Lucas’s world vividly to life. I found myself drawn to this gentle, determined boy who discovers what it means to be brave – and to make a difference. As the ending neared the pace picked up and the pages flew past.
Reviewed by Rowena Morcom
Age Guide 10+
READ A BOOK REVIEW OF PAX BY SARA PENNYPACKER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sara Pennypacker is the author of the New York Times bestselling Pax and Pax, Journey Home; the award-winning ‘Clementine’ series and its spinoff series, ‘Waylon’; and the acclaimed novels Summer of the Gypsy Moths and Here in the Real World. She divides her time between California, Massachusetts, and Florida.
0 Comments