Running with Ivan; Suzanne Leal

Historical fiction at its best in award-winning author Suzanne Leal’s debut middle-grade read.

2002; Leo Arnold has been forced to move home as his widowed father has remarried. A new family set-up, new step-brothers, a new bedroom and a new school are none of what Leo wants. There’s only one thing that Leo craves and that is to escape his new life.

When he discovers his mother’s old music box in the garage he is amazed that a turn of the key and a tinkling tune transports him back in time. In 1930’s pre-war Prague, Leo meets Ivan - until the music stops and then he returns to his troubled home life. Intrigued and desperate to go back, Leo revisits the music box and witnesses the rise of Adolf Hitler, the growing threat of an invasion and countries on the brink of war. Worryingly he is living out his school history lessons and when war breaks out Leo and Ivan must run for their lives…

Inspired by true stories - detailed in the author’s note - and with themes of friendship, courage, bravery, bullying, grief and family, Running with Ivan is a gripping and intense read that seamlessly slips between different time periods as school history lessons become a dangerous reality for Leo and his new best friend Ivan. A page-turner this most certainly is and I was quickly immersed and invested in the stories of the two young boys.

Wartime is horrible and it is impossible to imagine what it must have been like to live under German occupation. But even in dark times friendships are formed and a brotherly bond is exactly what Leo and Ivan quickly share. This friendship is the catalyst for Leo to challenge his issues in the present and gives Ivan the strength and courage to survive the past.

There are a plethora of brilliant books for middle-graders that bring to light the horrors of the Second World War and this is another worthy addition to the collection. Suzanne Leal handles the Holocaust - one of the most dire events in history - with sensitivity whilst providing readers with plenty of historical details. Concentration camps, life in the Theresienstadt ghetto - a ‘fortress town’ with dire conditions created especially for Jews, workhouses, the dreaded ‘transport' and injecting milk to make ones self unwell are just some of the subject matter.

Much of the research for the story comes from conversations with Leal’s neighbour - a Holocaust survivor with a photographic memory who was able to recall his wartime experiences with clarity - giving the read alarming authenticity and a reminder that some of the people that lived through and experienced this dark time in history are still alive - and most probably, bearing the mental scars - today.

A surprising and poignant ending makes for a satisfying conclusion to this immersive historical adventure that will quickly become a classroom favourite. A must read for young historians!

With huge thanks to Harper Collins for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended for 10+.