The Secret of Honeycake - by Kimberly Newton Fusco

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.