The Secret of Honeycake - by Kimberly Newton Fusco (Hardcover)

About the Book

In 1930, eleven-year-old Hurricane struggles to adapt to life in the city after her mother's death and her sister's illness, but through new friendships and her love for writing, she learns to embrace change and find her voice.

Book Synopsis

Hurricane is quiet while her Aunt Claire is a force of nature with very particular ideas--and a host of Latin sayings to back them up. When Hurricane gets stuck living with her, she retreats into herself...until a series of unexpected friends, including a mangy cat, help her find her voice in a whole new way.

A recipe for The World's Most Comforting, Twelve-Layer Honeycake:

1 quiet girl named Hurricane, who runs like the wind along the Mighty Atlantic with her old dog Brody-Bear.

1 imperious aunt, who steps up when Hurricane's world turns upside down.
1 kind-hearted boy, who helps wounded animals (and may smell a little of fish)

1 lonely and flea-bitten cat with a ragged ear and a crooked tail.

1 gentle chauffeur, who knows exactly what to say...and when not to say a thing.

Mix them all together in big, fancy house in the city. What you get might surprise you.

Review Quotes

★ "Hurricane employs stunningly beautiful, highly descriptive language to narrate her own tale with a depth of feeling and growing awareness of her attributes and true strength of character....Powerful, emotional, and wondrous." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This swiftly paced novel is filled with strong life lessons about embracing change, using writing as a coping mechanism, and learning how to find one's voice. Short chapters and frank text entreat to young readers and challenges them to forge their own paths." --Publishers Weekly

"Fusco takes her time developing the Depression-era setting and the backgrounds of each character, giving this heartwarming novel depth and authenticity." --The Horn Book

"A gentle and heartwarming historical read." --Booklist

About the Author

Kimberly Newton Fusco is the acclaimed author of four other books for young readers: Chasing Augustus, Beholding Bee, The Wonder of Charlie Anne, and Tending to Grace, all of which received starred reviews and many accolades, including the Schneider Family Book Award. As a child, Kim was shy and stuttered and wanted to be a writer more than anything, and now she is! She was a national-award-winning education journalist before becoming a novelist. The mother of four grown children, she lives with her family, a lolloping golden retriever, and a very old cat in a house in rural Rhode Island surrounded by woods and fields where her pet sheep, Huck and Finn, graze.