THE SECRET OF HONEYCAKE

Eleven-year-old Hurricane has endured too many losses in her young life.

Quiet and frequently unable to speak, she’s desperately unhappy at school. Her father died in the Great War. Her mother died of tuberculosis. Her 19-year-old sister, Bronte, is her loving guardian, speaking for her when needed. Hurricane loves running with her dog near her cliffside home on the Maine coast and writing her thoughts in her journal. But Bronte has just been diagnosed with tuberculosis and must go to a sanitorium. Great-aunt Claire swoops in and carries Hurricane off to the city, minus her dog. Aunt Claire is rigid, making pronouncements and judgments about those she considers lesser. But there’s also chauffeur Mr. Keats, who can do almost anything, including splendid cooking and baking. He is able to soften Aunt Claire’s nature and encourages the despondent Hurricane in every way. Her brilliant and kind new friend, Theo, and a needy feral cat bring about changes in all of them; Aunt Claire rethinks her attitudes and remembers joy, while Hurricane discovers her aunt’s generosity and innate kindness. 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 while including delightful references to Depression-era Hoovers and Frigidaires, as well as the mysterious honeycake. Everything comes together in a lovely, hopeful new beginning, honeycake included. Main characters read white.

Powerful, emotional, and wondrous.