Cover Reveal and Q&A: The Lions’ Run by Sara Pennypacker (cover by Jon Klassen)

It would be difficult for me to put into words how fond I am of the novel Pax by Sara Pennypacker. As an author, she surprises me on a regular basis, whether through her Clementine series, my favorite unexpected-dead-body novel The Summer of the Gypsy Moths, or with her story of war and foxes that cracked my heart into small bite-sized pieces.

To my infinite horror, I have only now just discovered that I never reviewed Pax myself. Perhaps I did professionally (I won’t review something on my site if I review it elsewhere) but if so then that knowledge is lost to the sands of time.

Today, I make up for it. Not simply with a talk with Sara about her latest novel, but also with a cover reveal. And the cover artist? Jon Klassen. Oh. You’re gonna wanna see this.

The book in question is called The Lions’ Run (out February 3, 2026) and it is described by its publisher in this manner:

“The acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of Pax delivers an historical novel about an orphan during WWII who discovers unexpected courage within himself when he becomes involved with the Resistance.

Petit éclair. That’s what the other boys at the orphanage call Lucas DuBois. Lucas is tired of his cowardly reputation, just as he’s tired of the war and the Nazi occupation of his French village. He longs to show how brave he can be.

He gets the chance when he saves a litter of kittens from cruel boys and brings them to an abandoned stable to care for them. There he comes upon a stranger who is none too happy to see him: Alice, the daughter of a horse trainer, who is hiding her filly from German soldiers.

Soon Lucas begins to realize they are not the only ones in the village with secrets. The housekeeper at the German maternity home and a priest at the orphanage pass coded messages; a young mother at the home makes dangerous plans to keep her baby from forced adoption; and a neighbor in town may be harboring a Jewish family.

Emboldened by the unlikely heroes all around him, Lucas is forced to decide how much he is willing to risk to make the most courageous rescue of all.

Perfect for fans of Alan Gratz, Ruta Sepetys, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, this accessible novel, told in short chapters, illuminates a little-known aspect of World War II history.“

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We’ll get to the cover of this book, my friends. Oh yes we will. First, though, we simply have to talk to Sara about it:

Betsy Bird: Sara! Thank you so much for giving us this incredible peek into THE LIONS’ RUN! Now I just did a rundown of your previous titles and I think that it is fair to say that this is a bit of a tonal change from what you’ve produced before, yes? Historical fiction! WWII! Nazis! Not that you didn’t have a bit of warfare in the PAX novels, but this is distinctly different. Where did this book come from? What is its origin story?

Sara Pennypacker: It is a change, but I’ve stopped trying to figure out what I should write next. When a story calls, I just say thanks and start typing! For this origin, we have to go back about 20 years, to when I stumbled upon the Nazi Lebensborn Program and how it operated in occupied countries of Europe. As I researched, I became more appalled—Why doesn’t anyone know about this? How should I respond?—until finally I  wrote a novel for adults set in a Lebensborn home, MY ENEMY’S CRADLE, under my maiden name. That book never left me, I think because crimes continue to be committed against women and children during wars, and continue to be overlooked. I always wanted to write about this for a mid-grade audience, but I couldn’t find a story that would bring a main character into a Lebensborn until a few years ago, when I learned that kids as young as eleven were sometimes used as couriers for The Resistance.

BB: Thematically, the book does touch on the idea that in the midst of a cruel government, resistance can be found all around. Not to get too obvious about it, but it certainly seems to have pertinent things to say to kids in 2025. Was that on your mind at all when you wrote the story? And what do you think kids will be able to take away from it?

Sara: Oh, Betsy. Just your question bring tears. When I began this book two years ago, I felt we had just experienced a narrow brush with cruel authoritarian rule and escaped, so it would be safe to look at things like that in a children’s book. And then…  So yes, it’s terribly disheartening, but ugly things we thought we’d laid to rest a long time ago are raising their heads again. What I want kids to do as they read The Lions’ Run is what I always want them to do: put themselves in my characters’ positions, then think and question. I believe firmly that authors should not proselytize—our job is to ask questions, then step aside and let a variety of characters explore answers—but it was especially hard in this book. By the way: To my knowledge, no one ever rescued a baby from a Nazi maternity home, but if anyone had, I bet it would have been a kid.

BB: Damn right. Was there anything you particularly wanted to include and had to remove before the final product?

Sara: Interesting question. I over-write as a rule, and end up cutting about half of all my original drafts, and that was all in this case. But only because I had previously written that longer novel about the Lebensborn Program! So yes, there was a lot more about those Nazi maternity homes I felt deserved to be written about (what happened to those babies taken from their mothers and home countries to be Germanicized deserves its own book) and I hope some readers will do follow-up research. But because I got to include much of it in my earlier novel, I felt comfortable reducing the scope of The Lions’ Run to only those elements that would naturally be of interest to my main character.

BB: That makes perfect sense. And Jon Klassen did the art of the cover, of course, but did he do interior illustrations as he did in PAX? And how did it feel being paired with Jon once again in this book?

Sara: I am such a fan of Jon’s! At first, purely because of his art. But then I had the privilege of touring with him a bit when PAX came out, and I found him to be a deeply thoughtful artist, passionate about children’s literature; someone an author can really trust her story with. So when I learned he could take on this book (no, not interiors, only the cover, map and a chapter opener) I was thrilled, of course. Even knowing what to expect, though, I actually gasped when I saw the first cover sketch for THE LIONS’ RUN. And then I went back to my desk determined to make the final revision live up to that electrifying cover.

BB: Ah! That’s a form of collaboration I’ve not seen or considered before! Now is THE LIONS’ RUN a standalone novel or part of a series, would you say?

Sara: It’s definitely a standalone. But I’ve said that about a book before—PAX—and a few years later, found I was wrong.

BB: Finally, I know that this book isn’t even out yet, but I have to know – what else are you working on today? What else is in store?

Sara: Oh, I’m glad you asked! I do like to shift tones, and since THE LIONS’ RUN was one of the most difficult, most serious, books I’ve done, I was ready to write a pure romp. The novel I’m working on now touches on some important themes, but it’s also a defiant joy-ride, and pretty funny. My favorite thing about it is that my twelve-year-old main character is in charge, truly in charge, even of the adults in the story. In every other book I’ve written, the child characters are reacting to challenges or threats that come at them in a world where adults have the power and set the rules. I’m feeling pretty sick of that dynamic these days, and I sense that kids are too, so look out…

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And look out we shall! Big thanks to Sara for answering my questions today. And if you haven’t skipped to the bottom of this piece then you certainly deserve this cover reveal. Hold on to your hats!

Incredible work. For the cover, the publisher went with Jon’s favorite sketch and he designed it (including the type) himself. So jacket credit goes to Jon Klassen with input from Associate Designer Julia Bianchi.

The Lions’ Run is out, as I mentioned before, February 3, 2026, but it is NEVER too early to get excited.

Finally, additional thanks to Morgan Kane and the team at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for helping to set this all up today!

Filed under: Cover Reveal, Interviews