Review of Lines of Courage, by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Lines of Courage, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, is a historical fiction book about the devastating World War I. Told from the perspectives of Felix, Kara, Juliette, Elsa, and Dimitri, it showed how war affected people and places. Ages nine through fifteen should read this book, as it gives a basic understanding of World War I.

Felix, of Austria-Hungary, met a girl named Elsa, from Germany, and asked her if his father would be fighting. Page 13 states, “Elsa tilted her head as if the answer was obvious. ‘There must be a war, after the assassination. My father says you were there, that you saw the assassination yourself! Is that true?'” Felix’s father went to war, so he gave Felix the Golden Cross of Merit, but Felix refused.

Kara, of Britain, wanted to be a Red Cross member to help those injured, so she begged her mother to go on an ambulance train together. Her mother agreed, and they went on one. Once, she found an Austro-Hungarian soldier, supposedly Kara’s enemy, who needed help. She snuck him onto the train, losing her job. The soldier turned out to be Felix’s father, and he gave Kara the medal. Then, Kara found Juliette in Verdun.

Juliette, from France, got lost and found Kara at the train station. Kara gave her the medal because they were best friends and she wanted to give her hope. Also, Juliette went to Verdun and found her home reduced to nothing from all the fighting. She met Dimitri when she hid in a trench.

Dimitri, of Russia, was a soldier in World War I. “Artillery shells fell like rain around him, destroying everything within their range,” (239). Juliette gave Dimitri the medal to give him some hope. He met Elsa while he was a prisoner in Germany. One time, Juliette’s mother found him, and he reunited Juliette and her mother.

Elsa’s father got hurt on his way home, so Elsa found Felix, who got Dimitri. Then, Dimitri found Juliette, who got Kara to help them. They all met and became friends. When the war ended, they told each other about how the war had destroyed their homes.

Recommending children ages nine to fifteen to read Lines of Courage lets them learn about what happened in World War I. Read Lines of Courage!

SOURCE: Lines of Courage, by Jennifer A. Nielsen