Run Rabbit Run

by Barbara Mitchelhill

Lizzie is lucky. Her dad refuses to fight in the war unlike the other dads in her street. ‘I won’t kill anyone,’ he says ‘War is wrong.’ But she knows that lots of people don’t agree with him and when Dad is threatened with prison, he takes Lizzie and her little brother, Freddie, on a long and adventurous journey hiding from the authorities. Even when they are separated and all seems lost, Lizzie’s special star in the night sky gives her hope that one day her family will be together again.

Genres: War, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Middle Grade

221 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2011

Reviews

[Samara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. I think everyone should read it. I flew through it. Quick paced and quick read. Fun fact of the day this book taught me the definition of a conscientious objector.

[Shivani Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book maybe 2 years ago and I can still imagine vividly how everything in the story goes and what the effect had on me. The book starts off introducing lizzie, her father and her brother. Her father is a conscientious objector which means he is against the unnecessary killing of war and war itself. When the police say they are going to arrest him for his decisions against the war, the father, lizzie and her brother are then on the run away from the police and coping against abuse as they continue their journey.

Before I read this book, I was never really interested in war but after reading the book, I wanted to learn more about the war and all the families who suffered during it. So as if I were to recommend it, I would recommend it to someone who needs/wants to learn more about the war. I also found that the author had a way of placing a big impact on the reader using the simplicity of her words which is another great skill to have in the book, so I also recommend this book to people who always love a good read.

Overall, this book was targeted at ages 8-12 (readers at the age of eight should be pretty good readers to read a book about war and conscientious objectors). The book was a really good book but most of its flaws were part of the story-line towards the end. The end seemed a little bit jumbled up and out of place and I found it pretty unsatisfying but the rest of the book made up for that. (If your interested in reading sad and dramatic books, readt his)!!!!!

[Kanaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest Review: oddly enough, literature that is related to the holocaust or the wars has always interested me and I took this book imagining it to be something similar to the ones I have read previously but to my surprise it was thankfully very very different. It brings out the horrors in the most child-appropriate ways and establishes a child like way of communication with the reader. You see the world through the eyes of the innocent.

I hadn't given so much thought to "conscientious objectors." Maybe it was my own prejudice against the ones who didn't stop the cruelty or maybe it was that the literature I have read is either mostly from a N@zi point of view or a survivor point of view. Never from someone who affirmed that wars lead to nothing. Somehow I had just assumed that everyone wanted to fight. Maybe in a way, this book made me question my own conscience.

Also the adorable characters more than make up for all the sadness that dwells around!

[PrettyFlamingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I am finding a strange synchronicity with books; I read one and then find the next one has a character with the same name as the previous one.I finished The Friendship Test on Friday and started Run Rabbit Run on Saturday, both featuring Freddies. But two very different Freddies. Our little Freddie here is only six. His dad Will is a conscientious objector who refuses to fight in WW2; Will recently lost his shopkeeper wife when a German bomb decimated their family shop.

Now, it's January 1942 and older sister Lizzie is picked on at school in Rochdale. Her tormentors are ill-informed children who don't know the difference between conscientious objection and cowardice and appear too brainwashed to wish to learn in any case As refusing to join the army is a crime following the introduction of conscription, Will decides the family shall go on the run and find sanctuary in an alternative community, Whiteway in Gloucestershire. This is the story of their journey, but also a story of unwavering family loyalty. They can’t stay in one place for long as they are discovered.

Young Lizzie has an authentic voice and is mature for her age. She stands up for what she believes in, shows her courage against school bullies and fiercely protects her father and brother. Yet she is sensitive and looks at the sky for a star each night, which she fancies is her mother watching over her. It’s simply written, given the intended audience, but detailed and sympathetic for all that. Though there are resolutions there is no fairytale ending, and everyone has to face up to the harsh realities of war.

A highly emotional story that I think can be read by anyone, not just children. I’m so pleased I was one of its readers. 4.5

[Maddie Croft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as i enjoy adventure books and war themed books and this was amazing!! I had it for quite a while and started to read it. At the start of the book, i wasn't too sure on what i was thinking about it so i left it for a little bit and a week later tried it again and this time read a little more and it was amazing!! I have now given it to my mum as she also likes books like this so i'm excited to see what she thinks of it. I really recommend it!! <3

[Rebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally came across this book and the title was very catchy. I did not realise how much depth it would give as I thought at first it was a book mean for a younger audience. What I like the most is how the author manages to subtly inject serious thoughts about the damages brought upon by war and the miserable life conscientious objectors had back then. It was definitely a worthwhile read.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books aimed at children that adults will love too. Lizzie is a likeable protagonist and the book is full of adventures and excitement. It's a great way to introduce the WW2 topic to older children and teens, and for them to find out about what it was like from a child's point of view. I will definitely be reading more by this author in future.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good tale about World War Two full of hope and courage. A lovely tale about the true love that a family share and treasure throughout the war. The book also shares an important message about conscientious objectors in the war and what they did to protest fighting.

[Fernanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Nomthandazo Sibambo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing I love the adventures that the characters embarked on wonderful love the ending too

[Alex Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are not too many books written for young readers about conscientious objectors. Dorita Fairlie Bruce included a character who was a CO in her 1944 novel Nancy Calls the Tune. In 2003, M. E. Kerr wrote Slap Your Sides, a novel about a no longer very religious Quaker family whose eldest son refuses to fight in World War II. Laurel Lee Gugler wrote A Piece of Forever in 2008, a postwar story of a young Mennonite girl whose non-violent beliefs come into conflict with Veteran’s Day celebrations at school. And in 2010, Sharon Schnupp Kuepfer wrote Little Pennsylvania Dutch Boy: will the war ever end? The story is based her father’s experiences as a young Mennonite boy whose father was a conscientious objector. For most, the character's beliefs are part of their religion.

Now, Barbara Mitchehill has written Run Rabbit Run about a father’s ideological decision not to fight in the Second World War and the impact this has on his family. The story begins in 1942. The war is in full swing and patriotism is running high. William Butterworth’s appeal for an exemption from military service has just been rejected, and. without that exemption, he faces arrest and prison unless he enlists. Now, William is forced to go on the run, but still very determined to keep his family together, especially since Lizzie, 11, and her little brother Freddie have already lost their mom when a bomb fell on her shop and killed her,

Lizzie actually doesn’t think running this is such a bad thing. She has been taunted by the kids in school because of her “conchie” dad and she would also like to get away from her odious Aunt Dotty.

Early one morning, the family leaves their home in Rochdale, Lancashire, traveling to a place called Whiteway in Gloucestershire. There, they are welcomed by people willing to provide them a refuge. At Whiteway, they stay with Arthur Hollingworth, a World War I veteran who turned against war after seeing most of his friends die in the trenches breathing in mustard gas.

Life is pleasant at Whiteway and Lizzie is happy; she has even found a best friend in Bernardo. On her birthday, Bernardo talks Lizzie into sneaking off to a fair 9 miles away, promising to get her back in time for her special tea. He takes his mother’s bike without permission and off they go. The day is fun, except for some trouble with 3 boys from Bernardo’s school. Later, the boys find the bike, and break it, forcing the already late Lizzie and Bernardo to walk home. Not far from Whiteway, they are met by Lizzie’s angry dad. They are spotted by an old man, who reports Williams to the police.

The family is once again forced to run; this time to a farm, working along side two kind land girls and a very cruel farmer. After Lizzie and Freddie play a painful prank on him causing his hand to get caught in a rat trap, the farmer waits until winter, when it is cold and he doesn’t need so much help, before calling the police on William.

Once again, the Butterworth family is forced to run, this time in a blizzard. But when Freddie gets sick, they must seek help and a doctor is called. The doctor is required to report William to the police and, this time, William decides to give himself up when they come for him. While he is sent to prison, Lizzie and Freddie are evacuated to South Wales. But their adventures are far from over.

Conscientious objectors, or conchies as they were disparagingly called, were generally considered cowards by most people, regardless of their reasons. William simply does not believe in war, as he told the doctor “I don’t agree with the war, doctor. I won’t fight. I won’t kill…” (pg 135) Conscientious objectors were ostracized, called names, shunned by their families, refused help if they needed it. Ms. Mitchelhill does an excellent job at depicting this treatment without overwhelming the readers. By the same token, she does show that occasionally people could also be compassionate. In the face of overwhelming opposition, it can be hard to stand by your convictions when everyone else is registering to fight, and you are the lone person registering as a CO, knowing what will follow. I liked seeing the experiences the Butterworth’s through Lizzie’s eyes. She was at an age of turbulent feelings, one moment thoughtless, the next angry and sometimes breathlessly poignant. In the end, she opens up questions about the nature of courage and our ideas about what is a hero. Is it person who picks up a gun and kills for his country or the person who refuses to pick up a gun but can still save lives or is it both of these people?

Run Rabbit Run is a well-written, emotional story and it is a book I highly recommend, though sadly it is not yet available in the United States.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for 9-11 year olds. When Lizzie's dad refuses to fight in WW2, the police come looking to arrest him. Desperate to stay together, Lizzie and her brother (Freddie) go on the run with him, hiding from the police. But when their past catches up with them, they're forced to leave and it becomes more difficult to stay together as a family. This brilliant and engaging book is perfect for children to learn more about WW2 and the struggles that families went through to stay together. The enjoyable adventure story is well told showing that bravery comes in many forms. This book is extremely useful to introduce readers to aspects of WW2 less prevalent in children's fiction. There are many discussion points in this book including WW2, family, beliefs, religion, conscientious objectors and more.

This book allows for a lot of cross curricular work from history to geography, this book is paramount in children's education of the war. Posing questions that will get children thinking I believe this book is amazing for older readers in primary school.

[Serendipity Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizzie's dad is a conscientious objector to killing people and refuses to fight in the Second World War. Often seen as cowards, Lizzie suffers the abuse from the children at school due to her father's refusal to fight. The police come looking to arrest Lizzie's father, so they all go on the run in the middle of the night, in a desperate attempt to stay together as a family. For a while, they manage to live happily in the idyllic Whiteway, until their past catches up with them and pushes them on the run again. Will they ever be able to find peace and live together as a family again?

This book is aimed at the 9 -12 age range and is one of those books that I would find myself recommending to school teachers. If I was still in the classroom, I would definitely use this book as a starting point for the World War II topic often carried out in Year 2. I think it is a wonderfully descriptive story of life as a child during the world, from the viewpoint of a family vehemently against the war.

The characters are beautifully written and the plot shows the sharp realities of war and how it affects families. Before reading it, I had never considered how families coped with the separation, and this book really brings home the difficulties and the heartbreaking emotions caused by children being evacuated. The way families are torn apart by war is such a strong theme throughout the book, that I felt it would be a fine example for the children of today to read, who never seem to realise how lucky they are. I think that today's school children would get so much from reading this book, allowing them to visualise what life was like for someone of their age, during hostile times.

I loved Lizzie as a character, I found her very grown up for age, dealing with a lot of difficult situations. I honestly could not see my own children, managing as well as Lizzie. I could understand her father's decision, but felt he struggled to consider what was best for his children.

This book is quite a short book, so it could easily be read to the class within a few days. If you know any teachers, studying World War II with their class, then I would highly recommend this book.

Barbara Mitchellhill has brought World War II to the children of today.

[asma · Rating 4 out of 5]

So as I was walking around the bookshop, I found this book which had an awesome book cover and cute name; I decided to give it a chance. I don't usually kid's books but this book was an exception. It was wonderful. Although it is from a child's point of view, it didn't miss the tense events in the book. So this book is about a girl who has run away with her brother and father because her father didn't agree to participate in the war because he is a conscientious objector.  Conscientious Objectors are people who don't believe in unesseccary killing and starting war. They don't believe that those things could cause peace between people. I never knew those people exist. I always thought that all people were supposed to participate in the war. I can't help but I agree. War doesn't end injustice and crimes; it actually starts them. So in the book, those people are treated badly by others and they are called cowards. When the father didn't agree to participate in the war, the police tried to take him to jail, but the father couldn't just leave his kids alone so he ran away to a town where people are kind and peaceful . Of course, nothing always goes right so the police end up finding them and so the father is taken to police and the kids were send to an orphanage and that when their adventure starts. You can check the rest of my review at http://thebookhunter0.weebly.com/
Thank you and Enjoy !! :))

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest, the author sent this book to me to read, as she knew I'd leave a review. I don't usually pick up children's fiction, unless you include Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings/The Hobbit.

However, I must say - remembering it's aimed at 9 to 12 year olds - it was a great read. In fact, I enjoyed being taken back to 1942, wartime Britain, and getting an insight to what life was like. I actually think this book would work well in schools - history told through fiction. The author isn't heavy with the description, obviously to suit the genre, but it gives enough to make you take a step back in time.

Will Butterworth is a conscientious objector. His wife was killed by a bomb hitting her shop. When faced with prison or going to war, both meaning separation from his two children, he chooses to go on the run. They will stay together as a family.

It's told in first person from Lizzie's point of view who is twelve. Her brother, Freddie, is six. There are some real highs and lows for these two children. At one point, I really did have a lump in my throat, and tears welling.

In the authors acknowledgements, she states that although the characters are hers, the story is based on true events. I love things about the war, it fascinates me. This book did just that, too.

[Charlotte Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going into this book, I was surpised at the simplicity of the writing style, but if you bear in mind that the narrator is an eleven year old girl, I think that the writing really suits the age group of the protagonist and draws you into the story. I think that although the writing style was quite simple, there were still some really emotional moments which made me realise how heartbreaking some of the events that these characters had to endure were.

This is a novel which is based on real life events and I think that because I knew this before I started reading, the things that happened felt a lot more real and it was more emotional because I already knew that it wasn’t completely fictional.

This was an extremely quick read and I think it would be suitable for all age groups, even younger readers and the events that happen although they are sometimes sad, seem to conclude in a satisfying way. The characters were enjoyable to read about and on the whole, I think that this book gave an interesting view on World War II, looking at the experiences of the children rather than the soldiers fighting.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Run Rabbit run is a wonderful little book about a conscientious objector during World War Two and his family who are on the run from the police. It is told from the point of view of Lizzie the young girl of the family.

With my teachng head on I thought this would be a fab book to give youngesters an insight into life during World War Two and the issue of conscientious objectors which is something I haven't seen done before in a YA novel.

I enjoyed the story itself. It went along quite nicely with several little twists and turns put in. The family initally run away to Whiteway an estate within a village where the old man living there hides refugees and "conchies". As the story goes on main characters have to go on the run from their planned safe haven. The characters you meet within the book were lovely. I loved the family and seeing how they stuck together to deal with all the problems they came up against and enjoyed all the other characters they met whether they be nice or nasty.

All in all a fab little book that gives a brilliant insight into life during the blitz.

[Hatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Run Rabbit, Run is quite a difficult book to review. Personally I think it was a great little book that wasn't too challenging but remains factual and gripping. However, I feel it is aimed at children younger than myself and unfortunately I was reminded of this all the way through the book which rather ruined the reading experience. On the other hand, given that the main character, Lizzie, is only 10 or 11 it is quite good if the reader is also that age as they can connect in terms of maturity levels etc.

Overall, I think this is a very good book for children of the appropriate age group and is definitely one I will recommend in the future.

[Aline Antunes · Rating 5 out of 5]

O livro é realmente muito bem escrito. O contexto - Segunda Guerra Mundial, Inglaterra - é muito bem feito; as descrições e os diálogos, assim como os comportamentos das personagens, convencem bastante (e são muito, MUITO emocionantes). Até mesmo algumas notas de rodapé com observações históricas são utilizadas, para explicar alguns eventos que podem ser desconhecidos - principalmente para os mais jovens, acredito. A história é bastante dinâmica, interessante e empolgante; certamente arranca algumas lágrimas dos mais sensíveis (como eu). Recomendo muito, para todas as idades (é infanto-juvenil).

[Alison Brownlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good story about a family struggling to stay together during the days of World War Two. You feel really sorry for the children and their dad who was a conscientious objector but taught the children, along their adventures, that is is far braver to stand up for what you believe in than to do what others expect.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed with the themes of WW2 and escaping the horrors of war with a father who was a conscious-objector. Ideal book for those in year 6 who tend to study this time period. Very personal b but ends well!

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read and very good for children studying WWII as it gives another perspective.