Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Lines of Courage follows five young protagonists through the epoch-making carnage of World War I.

Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Scholastic Press, 2022, 380 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-15

Lives Upended

In spite of his father’s reassurances, Felix Baum felt uneasy that day in Serajevo. Papa’s business had brought them from Austria to Serbia, where the movement for independence from the Austro-Hungarian empire was growing. Still, neither Felix nor his father were prepared for the shock when a Serbian patriot shot and killed the Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife. And though neither expected it at the time, within months Europe would be at war and countless lives upended.

Lines of Courage follows Felix and four other young people through World War I: Kara, an English girl serving with the Red Cross; Juliette, whose village in France is leveled and family scattered; Elsa, a proud German whose nation is humbled; and Dmitri, a Russian peasant hastily conscripted and sent to the front, where he is expected to scrounge for his own equipment. These five protagonists will face extreme danger and depraved humanity, along with the temptation to succumb to rage and hatred. Felix, for one, does not feel up to the challenge, but as his father says, “Sometimes we must grow into our bravery.”

Growing into Bravery

Guiding five characters through five years of earth-shaking events means a broad sweep rather than a sharp focus. This drains some of the impact, even though the situations are intense–there’s no time to dwell on telling detail or emotional depth. The way these five stories intertwine, especially at the end, involves so much coincidence it strains credulity. But there’s a moral payoff, expressed by one of the adult characters: “At some point, each of you found yourself in a terrible situation, and you responded with courage, with honor, and with kindness.” Courage, honor, and kindness can shine even in the most terrible circumstances. That’s often where they shine the brightest.

Overall Rating: 3.75

• Worldview/moral value: 4
• Artistic/literary value: 3.5

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader

• Reviews: Jennifer Nielsen debuted with the Ascendance series. Her war stories include A Night Divided (starred review), Resistance, Words on Fire, and Rescue.
• Review: For an effective overview of World War I, graphic novel style, see Nathan Hale’s Trenches, Treaties, Mud, and Blood.

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