"This rich story reminds us that America can be at its best as a melting
pot. A page-turner for all the right reasons." --VINCE VAWTER, Newbery
Honor-winning author of Paperboy
**
In this gripping and poignant companion to Sydney Taylor Honor Award
winner Black Radishes, Gustave faces racism and anti-Semitism in New
York City during World War II, but ultimately finds friendship and
hope.**
After escaping the Germans in Nazi-occupied France, Gustave and his
family have made it to America at last. But life is not easy in New
York. Gustave's clothes are all wrong, he can barely speak English, and
he is worried about his best friend, Marcel, who is in danger back in
France. Then there is September Rose, the most interesting girl in
school, who doesn't seem to want to be friends with him. Gustave is
starting to notice that not everyone in America is treated equally, and
his new country isn't everything he'd expected. But he isn't giving
up.
**
Julia Ward Howe Honor Award
Sydney Taylor Notable Book
Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
Junior Library Guild Selection**
"I love everything about this poignant story, especially the gorgeous
prose, which brings to life such an important slice of American history
in a way I haven't seen before. Simply put, this heartfelt book is a
masterpiece."-SHANA BURG, author of A Thousand Never Evers and
Laugh with the Moon
"The everyday details of the story guide readers, allowing them to enjoy
following Gustave's entry into the United States and his growth toward
appreciating all that's ahead for him in his new home. . . . Strong
historical content, rich descriptions, and smart subtleties about the
links between history and current events."--*School Library Journal
*
"Readers may gradually start to think of the characters as close
friends. . . . The conflict might feel like it's happening to people
the readers have always known. A sweet book that readers will find
sneaks up on them."--*Kirkus Reviews
*
"Well paced with fully realized characters, this provides a textured
look at race, refugees, war, and the process of creating a new
life."--Booklist
Praise for Black Radishes
A Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winner
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the
Year
An Instructor Magazine Best Kids' Book, Historical Fiction
A Massachusetts Book Award Must-Read Book
"An empowering, suspenseful story of a unique young boy with
cunning, patience, and courage."--Francisco X. Stork, author of Marcelo
in the Real World
"A fascinating, deftly gripping tale that reminds readers, young or
old, of events we must never forget."--Zilpha Keatley Snyder,
three-time Newbery Honor winner and author of The Egypt Game
"A vivid and moving story about a Jewish family's efforts to escape
the Nazis, seen through the eyes of a clear-signed and sensitive young
boy."--Annika Thor, winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award
"Black Radishes transforms the past into a gripping story."--Kit
Pearson, winner of the Governor General's Award for Awake and Dreaming
