Honey Cake [Hardcover]

Joan Betty Stuchner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2007

It is 1943 in the beautiful city of Copenhagen. Nazi soldiers roam the streets. Young David Nathan, the son of a baker, is asked to make a very special delivery. This errand will change David's life forever. Based on historical events, this is a story of friendship, honour and bravery.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this Holocaust rescue story where the camps remain a distant but scary threat, a young Jewish boy in Copenhagen tells of the Nazi invasion of Denmark, the widespread resistance among ordinary citizens, and how, after three years of occupation, the Danes help many Jews escape the roundups. Ten-year-old David knows that the grown-ups around him have secrets and that his sister is part of the resistance. Then David himself becomes involved; he’s drawn into tricking the soldiers and delivering an important message that helps the resistance derail a German supply train. Black-and-white illustrations throughout break up the text of this chapter book, which can serve as an introduction to the grim history. Older children may want to go on to Ellen Levine’s Darkness over Denmark (2000), as well as accounts about people who did not escape. The afterword focuses on the Danish government’s rescue efforts. Grades 3-5. --Hazel Rochman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Highly recommended for school, synangouge, and public libraries. " - AJL Newsletter

"A poignant story, permeated with pride in one's heritage and yearning for freedom, it's dedicated to the memory of 'His Majesty King Christian X of Denmark' a courageous man who tried to save the Jewish citizens of his kingdom during the Second World War." - Olga Livshin, Jewish Independent

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Tradewind (June 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896580378
• ISBN-13: 978-1896580371
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,134,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honey Cake, September 23, 2008

By 

Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honey Cake (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) (Hardcover)

The large print and easy-to-read text of this early chapter book makes it a good choice to introduce the Holocaust to younger readers. In age-appropriate language, without gory details, the author communicates the sense of danger and desperation faced by these Danish Jews. The almost ten-year-old narrator, David, begins the story by telling us what life has been like since the Nazis invaded Denmark three years before, right before Passover. He has a warm, loving family: a father, who is a baker, a brave older sister, Rachel, who is a university student, and a supportive, kind mother. The author does a good job of developing the characters, and showing their bravery and the bravery of their non-Jewish friends. David smuggles a map in a box of éclairs to help Rachel with her work as a resistance courier around Copenhagen. As her mother prepares to make a honey cake to welcome in the new year, Rachel tells her that "A sweet year would be a year without Nazis". Stuchner describes the rationing, how the Germans send most of the good Danish food to Germany, and how, as their freedoms and comforts are taken away from them and Hitler's net closes in, "all Danes dreamed of the secret taste of freedom." The story ends with their neighbors smuggling them to Sweden in September 1943 to escape Hitler's orders to send all Danish Jews to concentration camps. In the Afterwords, the author describes the historical events upon which the fictional story is based, and states that the majority of Danish Jews were saved by their non-Jewish neighbors, like the Jensens of the story. Clever pen and ink, richly drawn illustrations will hold the attention of young readers in grades 3-5. The honey cake of the title symbolizes the normalcy of celebrating the Jewish holidays to which the family wishes they could return, and the author has included "Mama's honey cake recipe for a Sweet New Year," with careful instructions to have an adult help with the oven and preparations. Recommended for ages 8 -11. Reviewed by Andrea Davidson.