BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations

Book Title: Flight

Author: Vanessa Harbour

Publisher: Firefly Press

Publication Date: August 2018

Most Suitable For: Years 5-6+

Flight is a tale of war and survival. The story is at once harrowing and hopeful as it explores the theme of protecting those who are unable to protect themselves.

In 1945 rural Austria, Jakob is a Jewish boy who is in hiding from the Nazis. After losing his own family, Jakob has found shelter in a horse stable under the guardianship of Herr Engel. Jakob is not the only one being protected there; the stables also secretly harbour a group of precious Lipizzaner stallions that Hitler wishes to steal.

One day a German officer appears, suspecting that Herr Engel might be hiding something. After a shocking scene (not for the faint hearted!) in which the officer shoots and kills one of the horses, Jakob and his guardian flee in the middle of the night, along with the remaining horses.

Aiming to trek across the mountains to a safer village, the pair face peril at every turn as they are forced to cross Nazi territory to get the stallions to safety at the other side. Along the way, Jakob meets a Roma girl called Kizzy, who joins the journey and makes an excellent companion for Jakob.

The story is filled with jeopardy but it also celebrates the courage of those who choose to protect people and animals in difficult times despite the extraordinary personal cost.

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You can order Flight online or from your local bookshop or library.

Many thanks to the publisher for kindly sending me a review copy of this book.