Flight: A Novel of a Daring Escape During World War II by Vanessa Harbour

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From Vanessa Harbour comes Flight, a middle-grade historical fiction novel about a Jewish boy and a Roma girl leading a group of horses across mountains to escape Nazis during WWII.

Everyone deserves to be free and feel safe, even horses.

The year is 1945 in Austria, where an SS officer and some of his men visit a stable, determined to find the Jewish boy they believe the owner is hiding there. Luckily, just as Jakob―the boy in question―is about to be found, the men are called away…but not before the SS officer shoots and kills Jakob’s favorite horse. It’s very clear then, to Jakob and his guardian, that they are no longer safe there. Traveling through Nazi territory with that many horses will be incredibly difficult and risky, but the alternative―staying―is even more dangerous.

After an orphaned Roma girl named Kizzy joins the pair, the three of them travel across woods and mountains in the hopes of finding safety. Along the way are life-threatening obstacles and an injury that could prove to be deadly.

Inspired by a real mission, this is a story of courage, adventure, friendship, and dancing horses.

Year first published: 2021