WHITE EAGLES

Following the Nazi invasion of Poland, a young pilot and a Jewish child escape on a journey across Europe.

In 1939, as World War II looms, 18-year-old twins Leopold and Kristina Tomiak serve as flight instructors at the Vistula Aeroclub near Warsaw. Kristina is selected to be a liaison pilot in the Polish Air Force Reserve, transporting people and messages and taking aerial photos. Sunny, positive Leopold’s turn will come later. When the nearby village of Birky goes up in flames just a couple of weeks after the Nazi invasion, everyone knows the airfield is in imminent danger. Leopold takes down a Nazi plane, and a German officer brutally shoots him in front of Kristina and the others at the captured aeroclub. But Kristina manages to take a small plane, where she discovers Julian, an 11-year-old stowaway, hiding in the rear cockpit. The little boy’s parents were murdered by the Nazis, and the grieving but determined pair flee across the continent, encountering both the best and worst of humanity. This slim, gripping, and tightly woven novel effectively introduces characters who are full of heart and resilience. Written and formatted to be accessible to readers with learning differences, this fast-moving and compelling story will draw in both reluctant readers and others who enjoy historical fiction, especially those who appreciate a focus on personal heroism in the face of war’s brutality.

Strongly paced and emotionally resonant.