Running With Ivan

Yearning to escape the new family he never wanted, thirteen-year-old Leo Arnold is transported to wartime Europe where he must draw on his courage to save himself and those around him.

From award-winning author Suzanne Leal comes a gripping timeslip novel inspired by true stories.

Thirteen-year-old Leo Arnold hates his life. He doesn't want a new school, a new house, or a new family. And he definitely doesn't want to be sharing a room with his new stepbrother, Cooper.

What Leo wants is to be somewhere else, far away. So when he uncovers an old music box and turns the key, he is astonished to find himself in Prague, surrounded by whispers and fears of a second world war. A war that ended decades ago.

In Prague, Leo meets Ivan, a Czech boy, and the two become friends. But when World War Two finally erupts, the unimaginable becomes real and the boys are imprisoned. Fearing the worst, Leo and Ivan frantically search for an escape. A search that sends them running.

Running against time.

Running for their lives.

Praise

'... the very best tradition of the time slip, of one era seeping into another, one culture and dangerous set of events invading another' - Tom Keneally AO

'... dramatic, big-hearted story' - Ursula Dubosarsky

'... a moving exploration of courage, friendship and commitment' - Sophie Masson AM

'... a remarkable feat of storytelling' - James Moloney

'Immersive and sensitive historical fiction, Running With Ivan is perfectly pitched for readers 10 to 12; imagine The Messenger crossed with Playing Beatie Bow.' - Books + Publishing

Awards

Shortlisted - 2023 NSW Premier's History Awards (Young People's History Prize)

Longlisted - 2024 Book Links Award for Children's Historical Fiction