LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Best-selling illustrator Shirley Hughes writes beautifully in this gripping story set during World War Two. Living in Italy during the occupation by the Germans, Paolo and his sister Constanza long to do something for the fight to keep Italy free. They are only children and their only asset is one ancient bicycle but their spirits are indomitable! Shirley Hughes captures the thrill of this very important adventure. This beautifully jacketed edition has a linked website with historical details about the Second World War in Italy, including period photographs, videos and music, as well as interviews with the author, extra illustrations and much more. This is a wonderful first novel from the internationally revered writer Shirley Hughes; a modern classic in the making.
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About
Hero on a Bicycle Synopsis
"Thirteen-year-old Paolo Crivelli dreams of being a hero in Nazi-occupied Florence. . . . A superb historical thriller." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Italy, 1944: Florence is occupied by Nazi forces. The Italian resistance movement has not given up hope, though - and neither have thirteen-year-old Paolo and his sister, Costanza. As their mother is pressured into harboring escaping POWs, Paolo and Costanza each find a part to play in opposing the German forces. Both are desperate to fight the occupation, but what can two siblings - with only a bicycle to help them - do against a whole army?
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780763697785 |
| Publication date: |
24th October 2017 |
| Author: |
Shirley Hughes |
| Publisher: |
Candlewick Press |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
224 pages |
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Press Reviews
Shirley Hughes Press Reviews
'A thrilling and moving tale, set in a wonderfully tendered background of war-torn Italy. Danger abounds, but so do love and courage. I enjoyed it enormously.' - Philip Pullman
'A very exciting wartime story.' - Judith Kerr
'An exciting story, well told, by someone with a strong feeling for the time and place.' - Mary Hoffman in The Guardian
'Shirley Hughes is one of the all time greats.' - Today
'She will be remembered for the warmth and humour with which she has captured the fast changes in the family through the second half of the twentieth century.' - The
Guardian on Shirley Hughes
Author
About Shirley Hughes
Winner of the Book Trust Lifetime Achievement Award 2015.
Shirley Hughes (1927 – 2022) was born and grew up in West Kirby, near Liverpool. She studied at Liverpool Art School and at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford, before embarking on a career as a freelance illustrator. At first she worked as an interpretive illustrator, but she began to write and design her own picture books when her children were very young. Her first book, Lucy and Tom's Day, was published in 1960.
Shirley Hughes illustrated over two hundred children's books and is renowned as a champion of children's literature. She has been the recipient of the Other Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal and the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award. She was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in2010, which rewards the best in contemporary children's and young adult literature from all over the world.
Click here to read more about the author.
And find an obituary to Shirley Hughes here.
More About Shirley Hughes
