Rescue
Suspenseful drama of escape from Nazi occupation in WWII.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Rescue is historical fiction set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II by popular kids' and young-adult author Jennifer A. Nielsen. There's a lot of suspense from characters in danger of being captured by Nazis and fear of imprisonment or death. Soldiers fire guns and a couple of characters are wounded with brief mentions of blood but no other gore. Separation from parents is a strong theme. Readers will learn a lot about France during World War II, and are encouraged to try codebreaking themselves.
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What's the Story?
RESCUE is the story of 12-year-old Meg, who lives in France when it was occupied by the Nazis in World War II. Meg's father has been away from home for two years on a secret mission, so Meg and her mother move to the countryside to live on her grandmother's farm. Both Meg and her mother are secretly helping the Resistance by passing along coded messages about Nazi activity in the area. It's not long before a suspicious lieutenant brings soldiers to search the farm, and Meg will certainly be taken into custody if he's given the chance to interrogate her. Forced to flee her home, Meg agrees to help a family of Germans trying to escape the Nazis. Fortunately, Meg received a coded letter from her father to help her along the way, that is, if she can break the code, avoid the Nazis' clutches, and get her three companions across the mountains to freedom.
Is It Any Good?
Author Jennifer A. Nielsen has created a very suspenseful tale that will keep the pages turning as she weaves together elements like codebreaking, escaping to freedom, and figuring out whom to trust. Readers will enjoy cracking codes along with Meg and will learn a lot about creative thinking and World War II history. Most characters are not very well developed, but some of them do become more rounded out and believable as their stories unfold. Hopefully readers will get a lot of food for thought about why people do what they do, and about judging groups of people, espcially based on where they're from. It may also spark a real interest in code breaking in some readers, with plenty of chances to solve Meg's coded messages and others the author provides in the back. At 400 pages and with some advanced vocabulary, it's best for big kids and up, who are strong, independent readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about codebreaking in Rescue. Why is using codes and knowing how to break them important? Did you try to break any of the codes in the back of the book? Were you able to?
Did you know very much about life in France during World War II before you read this? What did you learn? What surprised you the most about the events portrayed?
Have you read any other books by this author, or any other historical fiction? What are you favorites?
Book Details
- Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Scholastic Press
- Publication date: March 2, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 400
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: March 31, 2021
Our Editors Recommend
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A Night Divided
Sharp-eyed Cold War stunner has high intrigue, family drama.
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The Secret of Nightingale Wood
Suspenseful WWI family drama has feel of a classic.
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The Metropolitans
Teens, Nazis in exciting, magic-drenched race against time.
For kids who love historical fiction and World War II stories
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