Flight: A Novel of a Daring Escape During World War II
At least twice during their long history, the famed Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School had to be removed from their home in Vienna to places of safety. This happened during World War I and again only a few decades later, when war once again broke out around the world. To avoid both the Nazis and Allied bombers, the horses were relocated to remote locations in Austria, where they could be hidden safely among farms in rural communities.
In this debut novel for middle-grade readers, Harbour’s characters embark upon a dangerous mission as they try to secretly remove a herd of Lipizzaner stallions from under the watchful eye of Nazi soldiers after a sadistic officer callously shoots one of the prize stallions. They intend to move the stallions to join a herd of mares held safe at an estate over the mountains, many miles away. Jakob is a teenager who has kept his Jewish heritage secret from everyone after seeing his parents arrested and taken away by the Nazis. His identity is known only to Herr Engel, a master horseman in charge of the stallions. Together, they plan the arduous escape.
As they steal the horses away, a young Roma girl named Kizzy secretly follows them, but joins their company when Jakob discovers her. Like the Jews, her Roma people have been ruthlessly executed by the Nazis; Kizzy witnessed her parents’ murder but was able to hide and escape the soldiers.
This highly recommended novel is a thrilling adventure story that also shows two young people discovering their hidden strengths and learning to accept the differences of other people.
