Hero on a Bicycle

by Shirley Hughes

Overview

“Thirteen-year-old Paolo Crivelli dreams of being a hero in Nazi-occupied Florence. . . . A superb historical thriller.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Italy, 1944: Florence is occupied by Nazi forces. The Italian resistance movement has not given up hope, though — and neither have thirteen-year-old Paolo and his sister, Costanza. As their mother is pressured into harboring escaping POWs, Paolo and Costanza each find a part to play in opposing the German forces. Both are desperate to fight the occupation, but what can two siblings — with only a bicycle to help them — do against a whole army?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763697785
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	168,887
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	10 Years

About the Author

 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

This first novel by acclaimed children’s picture-book writer and illustrator Hughes expertly captures the tension in the Crivelli home, as Rosemary tries to raise her two children and keep them safe while covertly supporting the Partisan cause...A superb historical thriller.
—Kirkus reviews

Editorial Reviews

Vividly evoking the closing-in conflict, with tanks rumbling along a nearby road, zooming fighter planes and relentless shellfire, Hughes ratchets up the tension. ... Huge as the war is, this story is an intimate one — centering on the courageous actions of one Italian family as the conflict arrives at their doorstep, forcing them to grapple with the harsh complexities of good and evil.
—The New York Times Book Review

This first novel by acclaimed children’s picture-book writer and illustrator Hughes expertly captures the tension in the Crivelli home, as Rosemary tries to raise her two children and keep them safe while covertly supporting the Partisan cause...A superb historical thriller.
—Kirkus reviews (starred review)

After more than 50 years of writing and illustrating children’s books, two-time Greenaway Medal–winner Hughes delivers her first novel, a tense and emotional thriller set during the German occupation of Florence in 1944, near the end of WWII...The Italian setting is vibrantly presented, and Hughes creates both a memorable cast and a palpable sense of danger at a critical juncture of the war.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Setting and atmosphere are surely established, and the sense of danger is everywhere, allying us with the characters’ efforts to survive and subvert their conquerors.
—The Horn Book

In this engrossing story, Hughes combines a riveting plotline with multidimensional characters. It also provides youngsters with some understanding of the choices and conditions faced by people in Europe during World War II.
—School Library Journal

Skillful plotting, with a number of well-placed chapter cliffhangers, and a deftly conveyed sense of place make this a strong choice for historical fiction readers.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This is a fast-paced story that keeps the reader engaged and involved. The characters are well-drawn and the reader has a real sense of connection with them.
—Library Media Connection

Hero on a Bicycle is a wartime adventure that will appeal to many late elementary and middle school readers, especially boys who enjoy reading about war and danger. There is much to be learned about the day-to-day existence of those who lived in occupied areas during World War II, and it shows how young people can be empowered, albeit in this case while in serious danger.
—VOYA

This novel has all the vigor, charm, and excitement of a new classic, and its clear prose is suffused with a humanism that is deeply sympathetic.
—Amanda Craig, The Times (U.K.)

With a style that recalls children's classics, Hughes writes with a keen appreciation for children's sensibilities, but never insults them by avoiding the harsh realities of war. Her captivating historical fiction reveals a few of the many unsung heroes of World War II, some with guns and bombs as ammunition, and others with only a bike.
—BookPage

Here, in clear and vivid prose, we meet the exceptional result of [Hughes's] story's long percolation. ... Unusually, in a book for adolescents, readers are drawn not only into Paolo and Constanza's inner lives but also into those of their mother and other adults. This authorial approach gives uncommon dimension and substance to a story not soon forgotten.
—The Wall Street Journal

Under the Tuscan sun and in the dark of night, war forces impossible life-and-death choices in this page-turner that powerfully juxtaposes daring and danger, loyalty and betrayal, evil and human goodness.
—San Francisco Chronicle

A wonderfully written, fast-paced, exciting novel is one kids won’t want to put down.
—GreatestBooksForKids.com (syndicated by Kendal Rautzhan)

From the Publisher

Those [young readers] who find the excitement and anguish of World War II especially fascinating, along with others who enjoy a gripping wartime tale whatever the time period, are going to relish Shirley Hughes's realistic adventure…Huge as the war is, this story is an intimate one—centering on the courageous actions of one Italian family as the conflict arrives at their doorstep, forcing them to grapple with the harsh complexities of good and evil. The actions of secondary characters like a young German officer, a careless wealthy friend and the brother of a loyal family servant reinforce Hughes's clear desire for her young readers to understand that those on either side can have a myriad of honorable and dishonorable reasons for their behavior.

The New York Times Book Review - Monica Edinger

After more than 50 years of writing and illustrating children’s books, two-time Greenaway Medal–winner Hughes delivers her first novel, a tense and emotional thriller set during the German occupation of Florence in 1944, near the end of WWII. With an absent father and a British mother, 13-year-old Paolo Crivelli and his 16-year-old sister, Constanza, suffer isolation and scrutiny under the tight security of the Nazis and their neighbors’ suspicion (their father is believed to be a Partisan, part of the pro-Allied resistance). Paolo secretly violates the city’s curfew each night to ride his bicycle across town, and Partisans approach him one evening, setting in motion their plan to have Paolo’s mother harbor escaped Allied prisoners of war. The third-person narration shifts smoothly among Paolo, Constanza, and their mother, giving readers profound insight and perspective on their individual worries and pressures, as their situation becomes all the more perilous. The Italian setting is vibrantly presented, and Hughes creates both a memorable cast and a palpable sense of danger at a critical juncture of the war. Ages 10–14. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 5–8—For 13-year-old Paolo Crivelli, the excitement of planning secret nightly trips into Florence balances the boredom and stress of living under Nazi occupation in a war-torn village outside the city. Because his mother, Rosemary, is English, she senses the town's suspicions of her. Paolo's father has joined the Partisans, a secret group working to sabotage the Nazis. For Rosemary, keeping her family safe is a daunting task, and she desperately misses her husband's strength and confidence. Then the Partisans ask her to hide two Allied soldiers who have escaped from the Germans. Though reluctant to jeopardize her family's safety, she feels she has no choice. As the excitement escalates, the characters struggle to be courageous while wrestling with life-threatening decisions. They have been living under harsh conditions and with the awareness that Nazi sympathizers are among their neighbors. Once the Allied soldiers are with the Crivellis, intrigue and mystery mount. Both Paolo and his sister, Constanza, do what is necessary, though there is underlying resentment by them and their mother that their father has chosen to follow his beliefs instead of staying to protect them. In this engrossing story, Hughes combines a riveting plotline with multidimensional characters. It also provides youngsters with some understanding of the choices and conditions faced by people in Europe during World War II. It's a good follow-up to Donna Jo Napoli's Stones in the Water (1997) and its sequel, Fire in the Hills (2006, both Dutton).—Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ

School Library Journal

Thirteen-year-old Paolo Crivelli dreams of being a hero in Nazi-occupied Florence. It's a tricky business living in an occupied city. The Allies are advancing from the south, Paolo's father is missing (thought to be fighting for the Partisans), and the Crivelli family is caught between the Nazi occupiers and the sometimes ruthless Partisans. This first novel by acclaimed children's picture-book writer and illustrator Hughes expertly captures the tension in the Crivelli home, as Rosemary tries to raise her two children and keep them safe while covertly supporting the Partisan cause. Not so easy with a son like Paolo, who risks sneaking out at night on his bicycle, looking for his own way to be a hero for the cause. There are plenty of heroes here, as layers of resistance to the Nazis are carefully delineated--the obvious bold resistance of the Partisans in the countryside, Rosemary's agreement to house escaped prisoners of war in her cellar, a lifesaving tip from the captain of the local military police and even a sympathetic member of the Gestapo who conveniently finds nothing when searching the Crivellis' cellar. The townspeople, a dog and even Paolo's bicycle play a role in the resistance movement, though the dangers and the realities of war are always tangible in this fine novel. A superb historical thriller. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

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