Cover Reveal and Q&A
The Lions’ Run by Sara Pennypacker (cover by Jon Klassen)
It would be difficult for me to put into words how fond I am of the novel Pax by Sara Pennypacker. As an author, she surprises me on a regular basis, whether through her Clementine series, my favorite unexpected-dead-body novel The Summer of the Gypsy Moths, or with her story of war and foxes that cracked my heart into small bite-sized pieces.
To my infinite horror, I have only now just discovered that I never reviewed Pax myself. Perhaps I did professionally (I won’t review something on my site if I review it elsewhere) but if so then that knowledge is lost to the sands of time.
Today, I make up for it. Not simply with a talk with Sara about her latest novel, but also with a cover reveal. And the cover artist? Jon Klassen. Oh. You’re gonna wanna see this.
The book in question is called The Lions’ Run (out February 3, 2026) and it is described by its publisher in this manner:
“The acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of Pax delivers an historical novel about an orphan during WWII who discovers unexpected courage within himself when he becomes involved with the Resistance.
Petit éclair. That’s what the other boys at the orphanage call Lucas DuBois. Lucas is tired of his cowardly reputation, just as he’s tired of the war and the Nazi occupation of his French village. He longs to show how brave he can be.
He gets the chance when he saves a litter of kittens from cruel boys and brings them to an abandoned stable to care for them. There he comes upon a stranger who is none too happy to see him: Alice, the daughter of a horse trainer, who is hiding her filly from German soldiers.
Soon Lucas begins to realize they are not the only ones in the village with secrets. The housekeeper at the German maternity home and a priest at the orphanage pass coded messages; a young mother at the home makes dangerous plans to keep her baby from forced adoption; and a neighbor in town may be harboring a Jewish family.
Emboldened by the unlikely heroes all around him, Lucas is forced to decide how much he is willing to risk to make the most courageous rescue of all.
Perfect for fans of Alan Gratz, Ruta Sepetys, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, this accessible novel, told in short chapters, illuminates a little-known aspect of World War II history.“
We’ll get to the cover of this book, my friends. Oh yes we will. First, though, we simply have to talk to Sara about it.
For the full discussion AND a look at the cover, click here.