Lines of Courage
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- Create Date：2022-09-25 06:53:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer A. Nielsen
- ISBN：1338620932
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Summary
The stories of five kids living through World War I， each of whom holds the key to the others' futures。。。 if they are lucky - and brave - enough to find each other。
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。
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。
Reviews
Will Atkins
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First of all， it was written for a 10-yr old audience。 So any reviews by an adult about it being too long or too confusing is just nonsense。 It’s an excellent book for its intended audience。 Well beyond anything I was reading at 10 years old， and full of factual nuggets that kids should know。
Chantelle
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Your best historical fiction for YA so far。 Bravo
Laura Byrd
，
Jennifer A。 Nielsen is fast becoming one of my favorite authors。 In this book she follows the stories of five teenagers from various places and perspectives。 This is a war that’s very difficult to follow or understand but Nielsen did an amazing job of weaving together the lives of these seemingly unconnected people with the backdrop of the war。 Some of the most important places and events are brought out without this feeling like a history book。 The story is certainly the driver， but it is rich Jennifer A。 Nielsen is fast becoming one of my favorite authors。 In this book she follows the stories of five teenagers from various places and perspectives。 This is a war that’s very difficult to follow or understand but Nielsen did an amazing job of weaving together the lives of these seemingly unconnected people with the backdrop of the war。 Some of the most important places and events are brought out without this feeling like a history book。 The story is certainly the driver， but it is rich with history and a deeper understanding of this horrible time in our world’s history。 It’s also good that it’s not too heavy or gruesome， making it a great choice for younger readers。 I also appreciate the author’s note at the end， including information about who WWII sprung from the ashes of this Great War。 I wish this boom was out when we studied WWI in homeschool this year。 It would have been my top pick。 My kids heard me listening to bits of this and are very interested in it。 They plan to listen next。 Even though we didn’t read it WITH our unit， I think they will thoroughly enjoy it having the WWI background knowledge they have， and it will give them even more understanding of this time。 。。。more
Julie Daneman
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Been reading this with my 12-year-old。 It took us a while to get through - I think this one is longer than her others， maybe - but we also had school and football and baseball start back up while reading。 Plus a bout of Covid through the family。 Anyway， as usual， a great book by Nielsen。 She does a wonderful job of taking a very difficult， adult subject - war - and bringing it down to an appropriate level， without dumbing it down。 This book shows just how much everyday people are affected by war Been reading this with my 12-year-old。 It took us a while to get through - I think this one is longer than her others， maybe - but we also had school and football and baseball start back up while reading。 Plus a bout of Covid through the family。 Anyway， as usual， a great book by Nielsen。 She does a wonderful job of taking a very difficult， adult subject - war - and bringing it down to an appropriate level， without dumbing it down。 This book shows just how much everyday people are affected by war - it's not just soldiers and generals。 It also shows how everyone can help; not just grown-ups。 Overall， another excellent work by Nielsen。 。。。more
Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens
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Nielsen presents a history of WWI from the perspectives of five young people—each representing an empire of that era—whose stories slowly converge。
Valerie McEnroe
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I read everything I can get my hands on by Jennifer Nielsen。 She is by far one of the best authors of children's historical fiction and every book is guaranteed to be a page turner。 I'm especially grateful for this book， because I've been baffled by WWI for years。 I needed this book。 I figured it would either be Nielsen or Gratz who delivered。 Gratz is probably kicking himself。 The title of this book is perfect。 Five children， from five different countries， end up following curvy， zigzagging， so I read everything I can get my hands on by Jennifer Nielsen。 She is by far one of the best authors of children's historical fiction and every book is guaranteed to be a page turner。 I'm especially grateful for this book， because I've been baffled by WWI for years。 I needed this book。 I figured it would either be Nielsen or Gratz who delivered。 Gratz is probably kicking himself。 The title of this book is perfect。 Five children， from five different countries， end up following curvy， zigzagging， sometimes circular paths that require much courage。 Eventually， all five lines will cross。 Nielsen， very adeptly， makes it clear from the beginning， which country is on which side。 This is important， because it's a confusing war。 But she also does a great job of showing that even when countries are at war， there is a human instinct to help those who are suffering， even if the government calls them the enemy。 That's how these children， from enemy countries， end up impacting each other's lives。 Two sides of the warCentral Powers: Austria-Hungary， GermanyAllied Powers: Great Britain， France， RussiaFive charactersFelix （Central Power）: Austria-Hungarian boy who witnesses the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by a Serbian rebel， starting WWI。 His dad goes to war。Kara （Allied Power）: British girl who works with her mother on the Red Cross ambulance train in France。 She treats a wounded "enemy" soldier who is Felix's dad and meets a refugee French girl named Juliette。Juliette （Allied Power）: French girl whose home is destroyed， has a father who is imprisoned by the Germans， is separated from her mother， thus wandering between towns， and meets a Russian boy named Dimitri。Dimitri （Allied Power）: Russian boy soldier who is saved by Juliette， but is captured by the Germans。Elsa （Central Power）: German girl who is a friend of Felix， daughter of the officer who imprisoned Juliette's dad， and responsible for getting Dimitri released from the German prison camp。Nielsen masterfully weaves this story while also teaching history and valuable moral lessons。 I'm so happy to finally understand this war。 I now realize that most of this war was fought in France， which is totally weird since it stared over a spat between Austria-Hungary and Serbia。 I understand the concept of trench warfare and the no man's land。 I love Nielsen's afterword where she adds more historical background about the uninhabited red zone that still exists in France today and the interesting argument she makes for how the smallest miscalculation can lead to a world war。 Can't recommend this book enough。 。。。more
Lindsay
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Interesting to see all the different paths---one character from each perspective of the war front---but fairly predictable and a little too heartwarming for a WW1 book。
Zoey
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I love Jennifer don't get me wrong and I would give it a 5 star but I was a little confused throughout the book mabie it's just not a book for me and other will love it so I will just give it a 4 star I love Jennifer don't get me wrong and I would give it a 5 star but I was a little confused throughout the book mabie it's just not a book for me and other will love it so I will just give it a 4 star 。。。more
Blakely Smith
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I agree we need more middle grade and YA historical fiction on WWI which is why I’ll round up from 3。5⭐️。 This one was fine， but I worry about the amount of characters she included。 I can see the average middle grade reader having a harder time with 5 characters。 I don’t know。 It left me feeling like there were too many stories which led to a lack of depth。
Ramona
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Very good YA historical fiction。
Claire
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3。5-4It was a good story， but I think I was a bit on the old end。 It was very similar to Alan Gratz books; it told multiple perspectives and they all tied together at some point in the story。
Izzys_Internet_Bookshelf
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2/5I wanted to enjoy this book but in the end I felt it was really had to follow each character and the pacing was really slow for some parts。
Suey
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Hard to imagine kids going through the things these kids did。
Jenn
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I loved this story。 It follows 5 different characters through the years of WW1。
Darla
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This is a rare bird of a book。 The story begins on June 28， 1914 and ends on November 11， 1918。 Five young people grow from preteen to young adulthood in the shadow of World War I。 Felix is from Austria-Hungary and witnesses the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand firsthand。 Kara is British and accompanies her mother to serve on a Red Cross train in France。 Juliette is a French girl trying to liberate her father from a German prison camp。 Dimitri is Russian and finds himself without a Tsar。 Elsa This is a rare bird of a book。 The story begins on June 28， 1914 and ends on November 11， 1918。 Five young people grow from preteen to young adulthood in the shadow of World War I。 Felix is from Austria-Hungary and witnesses the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand firsthand。 Kara is British and accompanies her mother to serve on a Red Cross train in France。 Juliette is a French girl trying to liberate her father from a German prison camp。 Dimitri is Russian and finds himself without a Tsar。 Elsa is German and a family friend of Felix。 She has carrier pigeons -- one of the most active is named Wilhelm。 Jennifer A。 Nielsen writes a linear account which flows through each individual with connections occurring organically。 The range of countries allows for a more comprehensive view of the conflict that would be found in a book with just children on one side。 There are also moments when a decision must be made to follow rules or show mercy。 In the end， we see a multitude of ways that courage is manifested in the lives of the five main characters。 Would make a fantastic read aloud for a middle grade classroom studying World War I。 Another excellent resource for learning more about the Great War is in the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series: Treaties， Trenches， Mud， and Blood （A World War I Tale）。 。。。more
Karin
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For some reason， this reminded me of reading the American Girl books when I was a kid。 I really enjoyed it， especially the bits on the ambulance train which I haven’t read about before。
Melody
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I absolutely love this book， it's intricate weaving， and it's amazing ending。 This is one war book that won't leave you feeling absolutely heartbroken。 I absolutely love this book， it's intricate weaving， and it's amazing ending。 This is one war book that won't leave you feeling absolutely heartbroken。 。。。more
Annie Ryan
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This WWI historical fiction book tells the story of 5 young teens from 5 different countries involved in WWI。 It really felt like an Alan Gratz book to me。 I liked that they all tied together in some way and that there was a feeling of hope in the end。 I also liked learning more about WWI since I don’t know much about it。 The author’s note told even more info。 However， I felt the book was too long， a bit confusing， and dragged in parts… I’m not sure middle grade readers will stick with it。 A Nig This WWI historical fiction book tells the story of 5 young teens from 5 different countries involved in WWI。 It really felt like an Alan Gratz book to me。 I liked that they all tied together in some way and that there was a feeling of hope in the end。 I also liked learning more about WWI since I don’t know much about it。 The author’s note told even more info。 However， I felt the book was too long， a bit confusing， and dragged in parts… I’m not sure middle grade readers will stick with it。 A Night Divided is still my favorite by this author。 。。。more
Addy
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This book is incredible。 The stories are perfectly woven together。 I loved it just like I love all of her books！
Jayne
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I love many of Jennifer Nielsen's books but this one was too neatly packaged。 Imagine a war crossing multiple countries and ethnicities and a number of characters （maybe 10？） happen to cross paths， make decisions that are charitable when fighting for their survival with some making miraculous hidden 180 degree changes， all meet together in the end to resolve all the issues， and no one dies！ Ta-da！ Here's your perfect bow on top of a story where everyone has a happy ending。 I love many of Jennifer Nielsen's books but this one was too neatly packaged。 Imagine a war crossing multiple countries and ethnicities and a number of characters （maybe 10？） happen to cross paths， make decisions that are charitable when fighting for their survival with some making miraculous hidden 180 degree changes， all meet together in the end to resolve all the issues， and no one dies！ Ta-da！ Here's your perfect bow on top of a story where everyone has a happy ending。 。。。more
Dan
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With multiple points of view that all intersect throughout the story， Nielsen provides a fast pace and informative World War I narrative that I think kids will enjoy。
Bethany
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I never was able to commit to the story after not connecting with Felix’s POV first。 I really wanted a full story of just Clara or just Juliet。
Cmeiss330
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I really liked this one， especially that it showed a perspective we don't often see in books - Jewish refugees during Russian occupation in WWI。 All the perspectives got a little convoluted for me， though。 I would have liked it more I think if there were maybe 2-3 perspectives maximum。 I really liked this one， especially that it showed a perspective we don't often see in books - Jewish refugees during Russian occupation in WWI。 All the perspectives got a little convoluted for me， though。 I would have liked it more I think if there were maybe 2-3 perspectives maximum。 。。。more
Anne
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Multiple perspectives during WWI。 I loved the way all the plotlines eventually intersect。 Ties together young people from Austria-Hungary， France， Russia， Germany， and Britain。Well written， well researched。 There are so many more books about WWII。 It was interesting to read one about "the war to end all wars" for a change。 Perfect for fans of Alan Gratz and Ruta Sepetys。CW violence （I mean it's war。 None of the scenes are too graphic， but it can be intense！）Highly recommend。 Multiple perspectives during WWI。 I loved the way all the plotlines eventually intersect。 Ties together young people from Austria-Hungary， France， Russia， Germany， and Britain。Well written， well researched。 There are so many more books about WWII。 It was interesting to read one about "the war to end all wars" for a change。 Perfect for fans of Alan Gratz and Ruta Sepetys。CW violence （I mean it's war。 None of the scenes are too graphic， but it can be intense！）Highly recommend。 。。。more
Marnee Lemon
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Not my favorite of Jennifer Nielsen。 It was interesting being set in a time period I haven’tRead much about。 I did like it better as it went on and enjoyed the way all the different characters came together at the end。 And I liked learning about the ambulance train- that wasn’t something I knew about。
Amy
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3。5 starsI realized reading this novel how little I really know about WWI。 This is a great introduction to this time period and some of the major elements of the different events。 In order to do this， the author created 5 different characters representing all perspectives of the war but this also created some difficulty in the flow of the story for me。 I felt like I was bouncing all over the story and trying to connect the dots but wasn't always successful in keeping all the different characters 3。5 starsI realized reading this novel how little I really know about WWI。 This is a great introduction to this time period and some of the major elements of the different events。 In order to do this， the author created 5 different characters representing all perspectives of the war but this also created some difficulty in the flow of the story for me。 I felt like I was bouncing all over the story and trying to connect the dots but wasn't always successful in keeping all the different characters， places， and events straight。 I would still recommend this book as an introduction to WWI for older elementary and above。 。。。more
Aubree Yoder
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Lines of Courage is one of my favorite historical fiction novels that I have read。 Jennifer A。 Nielsen is quite skilled at writing amazing historical fiction books， and this one did not disappoint。 There were so many things I loved about this book。 I loved that it told stories from different children， with points of views and in different parts of Europe throughout World War 1。 It was beautiful to see how Nielsen wove these children’s stories together in the end。 While this book was not an easy Lines of Courage is one of my favorite historical fiction novels that I have read。 Jennifer A。 Nielsen is quite skilled at writing amazing historical fiction books， and this one did not disappoint。 There were so many things I loved about this book。 I loved that it told stories from different children， with points of views and in different parts of Europe throughout World War 1。 It was beautiful to see how Nielsen wove these children’s stories together in the end。 While this book was not an easy read—in that it was very real in describing the horrors of war， which I think is healthy to educate oneself about—this book was so well written， and I found myself turning the pages faster and faster。 I would say this book is a must read。 。。。more
Rachel Grover
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Exceptional。 I loved the multiple perspectives told throughout the course of World War I。 The way the stories wove into each other at the end was brilliant。 This belongs in every middle school library， not only for the historical connections， but also for the theme of courage and doing the right thing despite what everyone else is doing。 Great for readers who have devoured Alan Gratz's novels。 Exceptional。 I loved the multiple perspectives told throughout the course of World War I。 The way the stories wove into each other at the end was brilliant。 This belongs in every middle school library， not only for the historical connections， but also for the theme of courage and doing the right thing despite what everyone else is doing。 Great for readers who have devoured Alan Gratz's novels。 。。。more
jca_dreams
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Um。 Wow。 Jennifer A Nielson knocked it out of the park again！！ I loved the duel POV without getting into the characters head， it really made me feel like I was in that horrible moment in time。I think I've been reading to much sweet romance lately because （I wanted Words On Fire sweetness） but alas， it did not。 *sigh* Um。 Wow。 Jennifer A Nielson knocked it out of the park again！！ I loved the duel POV without getting into the characters head， it really made me feel like I was in that horrible moment in time。I think I've been reading to much sweet romance lately because （I wanted Words On Fire sweetness） but alas， it did not。 *sigh* 。。。more
LS Johnson
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A really interesting way to depict the history surrounding WWI。 It provided a lot of the background information and various points of view in a reader friendly manner。 I had some difficulty keeping track of the 5 POVs， especially through the 4 year time period。 But I always enjoy Nielsen’s writing。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lines of Courage
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lines of Courage&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lines of Courage&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0