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A review by paperprivateer
The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I suspect that this will be the best book I read in 2025.
This book is like a hug. Not like the kind of hug when everything is great and nobody has any problems, but the kind of hug where life is hard but it's okay because there are people who will love you anyway. And speaking of hugs, I would love one from every character in this book, thank you very much.
The characters are the heart of this book. There's Hurricane, whose name sounds like she should be a force to be reckoned with but is more focused on battling her own inner storms from her mother dying, her difficulty in standing up for herself and having to go live with her aunt instead of with her sister and dog she loves dearly. There's Aunt Claire, a woman who loves Latin mottos and things being orderly although she doesn't entirely know how to make suddenly being responsible for a child an orderly business. Mr. Keats is a man with a warm smile and comfortable-looking boots who struggles with PTSD but has a way with cooking and knowing what Hurricane isn't quite able to say. That's not counting Theo the fish boy who has a way with animals or any of the lovable animals Hurricane encounters in her life.
All of these characters learn and grow through the book, and each has to adjust how they view people and life. There's so much growth and adjustment as they all deal with their lives changing, and it's all so beautifully done. They grow and adjust just like people do in real life: gradually and as needed, sometimes with difficulty and sometimes with sweetness.
The characters deal with some challenging issues, but it's never too intense. While there are issues of the Great Depression, World War I PTSD, monetary issues, prejudice, and tuberculosis, it is relevant enough to be meaningful but not significant enough to be depressing.
I truly loved everything about this book. If you want a historical middle grade book that will make you want to move in with the characters or adopt a stray cat, this is the one for you. I wish I'd had a book like this when I was a shy kid trying to figure out how to use my own voice.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is like a hug. Not like the kind of hug when everything is great and nobody has any problems, but the kind of hug where life is hard but it's okay because there are people who will love you anyway. And speaking of hugs, I would love one from every character in this book, thank you very much.
The characters are the heart of this book. There's Hurricane, whose name sounds like she should be a force to be reckoned with but is more focused on battling her own inner storms from her mother dying, her difficulty in standing up for herself and having to go live with her aunt instead of with her sister and dog she loves dearly. There's Aunt Claire, a woman who loves Latin mottos and things being orderly although she doesn't entirely know how to make suddenly being responsible for a child an orderly business. Mr. Keats is a man with a warm smile and comfortable-looking boots who struggles with PTSD but has a way with cooking and knowing what Hurricane isn't quite able to say. That's not counting Theo the fish boy who has a way with animals or any of the lovable animals Hurricane encounters in her life.
All of these characters learn and grow through the book, and each has to adjust how they view people and life. There's so much growth and adjustment as they all deal with their lives changing, and it's all so beautifully done. They grow and adjust just like people do in real life: gradually and as needed, sometimes with difficulty and sometimes with sweetness.
The characters deal with some challenging issues, but it's never too intense. While there are issues of the Great Depression, World War I PTSD, monetary issues, prejudice, and tuberculosis, it is relevant enough to be meaningful but not significant enough to be depressing.
I truly loved everything about this book. If you want a historical middle grade book that will make you want to move in with the characters or adopt a stray cat, this is the one for you. I wish I'd had a book like this when I was a shy kid trying to figure out how to use my own voice.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.