Rescue by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Rating
Five stars

Blurb
A World War II story of espionage and intrigue, as one girl races to save her father and aid the French resistance.

Six hundred and fifty-seven days ago, Meg Kenyon’s father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time Meg saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, a terrible sentence from which Meg fears he’ll never return. All she has left of him are the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, an affectionate game the two of them shared. But the codes are running low, and soon there’ll be nothing left of Papa for Meg to hold on to at all.

Suddenly, an impossible chance to save her father falls into Meg’s lap. After following a trail of blood in the snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother’s barn. Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided across Nazi-occupied France to neutral Spain, whereupon one of them has promised to free Meg’s father. Captain Stewart was meant to take that family on their journey, but too injured to complete the task himself, he offers it to Meg, along with a final code from Papa to help complete the mission — perhaps the most important, and most difficult, riddle she’s received yet.

As the Nazis flood Meg’s village in fierce pursuit, she accepts the duty and begins the trek across France. Leading strangers through treacherous territory, Meg faces danger and uncertainty at every turn, all the while struggling to crack her father’s code. The message, as she unravels it, reveals secrets costly enough to risk the mission and even her own life. Can Meg solve the puzzle, rescue the family, and save her father?

Review
Did I finish this in one day? Yes. Yes, I did. XD

This story was so beautiful! I adored every minute of it from the heart breaking, emotional scenes, to the screaming, action-packed ones! This book was incredible!

Meg was a very interesting MC and I loved seeing the war, heartache, and tragedy through the eyes of a twelve year old. She was so young but so old for her age. And, of course, Jacob was pure awesomeness!

The characters really brought to life the hardships brought on through war. How four people are forced to unite simply to survive. And how that survival is hardly living at all, merely trying to stay alive. It’s sad to say the least. Just another reason why I love this book!

I won’t lie, all of the spy elements in this book had me wanting to trade places with Meg! (I definitely want my own spy manual!) It was SO cool! A turnip that exploded? I won’t give anything away so I’ll stop there but if you haven’t read this book then you definitely NEED to! I highly recommend it!

I had never spoken directly to a Nazi before and everything I thought I’d say in such a moment, every lie I’d ever planned out, melted inside my head until the only thing left was the truth. A truth that would get me immediately arrested–or shot.
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, Rescue