LINES OF COURAGE, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, Scholastic Press, May 17, 2022, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)
The stories of five young people living through World War I are weaved together in Jennifer A. Nielsen’s fantastic Lines of Courage.
World War I stretches its cruel fingers across Europe, where five young people, each from different backgrounds and nations, face the terror of battle, the deprivations of hunger, and all the awful challenges of war.
Felix, from Austria-Hungary, longs for the bravery to resist Jewish deportations before his own family can be taken.
Kara, from Britain, dreams of someday earning her Red Cross pin and working as a nurse — or even a doctor.
Juliette, of France, hopes her family can remain knitted together, despite her father’s imprisonment, as the war’s longest battle stretches on and on.
Elsa, from Germany, hopes her homing pigeon might one day bring her a friend from out of the chaos.
And Dimitri, of Russia, wants only to survive the front, where he’s been sent with no weapon.
None of them will find exactly what they want. But the winds of fate may cross their paths to give each of them just what they need. —Synopsis provided by Scholastic
Author Jennifer A. Nielsen just keeps getting better. Whether creating new worlds (The Ascendance series, Traitor’s Game series), or exploring history through fiction (Lines of Courage, A Night Divided) Nielsen knows how to speak to her audience and bring her characters to life.
In Lines of Courage readers see WWI from five different vantage points. It’s unusual to tell a story from so many points of view, but it works. Because the five stories overlap, readers not only get to know the characters, they get a sense of continuity that would otherwise be lost. The friendships between characters are among the book’s highlights.
What stands out the most, though, are the different experiences — life onboard a Red Cross train, searching for loved ones among the abandoned trenches, learning how to survive being on the “wrong side” of the conflict, etc. These different teenage viewpoints remind readers that casualties of war can, and do, come from anywhere.
Lines of Courage is an engrossing read from cover to cover. My one small complaint is that the ending feels perhaps a little too rushed, a little to convenient. But that won’t stop me from highly recommending this excellent read.
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