“Hero on a Bicycle” by Shirley Hughes is a work of historical fiction and her first novel. Set in Italy in 1944, Paolo is a thirteen year-old boy living in Florence with his teenage sister and mother. His father has gone off to fight with the Partisans- he anti-Nazi movement and he is now the man of the house. Itching to perform an act of bravery amid the boredom of being confined to the house, he volunteers to risk his life to escort some undercover agents to the border. Revealing a less well-known branch of WWII, Hughes describes the fear and hope of the young boy and his family. Hughes is famous for her much praised children’s picture books (think ‘Alfie and Annie Rose’ and ‘Dogger’). Those young readers seeking more information about WWII would enjoy this 213 page novel.
