Black Radishes

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winner Black Radishes is a suspenseful WWII/Holocaust story, in which one boy learns what it means to be Jewish and French at a time when everything is changing.    Gustave doesn't want to move from the exciting city to the boring countryside, far from his cousin Jean-Paul and his best friend, the mischievous Marcel. But he has no choice. It is March of 1940, and Paris is not a safe place for Jews.    When Paris is captured by the Nazis, Gustave knows that Marcel, Jean-Paul, and their families must make it out of the occupied zone. And when he learns that his new friend Nicole works for the French Resistance, he comes up with a plan that just might work. But going into Occupied France is a risky thing to do when you are Jewish. And coming back alive? That is nearly impossible. And don't miss Skating with the Statue of Liberty , the gripping and poignant companion to Black Radishes, which follows Gustave as he embarks on new adventures in New York City. Praise for Black Radishes "Full of tension, this coming-of-age story presents a picture of life during the early days of World War II."-Bulletin "An excellent recent novel that can introduce readers to a wider world. . . . Meyer builds the tension by using real-life events (detailed in an author's note) and creates in Gustave a very believable boy who behaves bravely when he must."-The Horn Book "Meyer shines light on the bravery of Resistance fighters, and her story...[is] a gripping read comparable to Marilyn Sachs's classic A Pocket Full of Seeds , Carol Matas's Greater Than Angels , and Norma Fox Mazer's Good Night, Maman ."-SLJ "Partly based on Meyer's father's experiences, the story derives its credibility from the vivid details...[a] fine first novel."-Booklist "This debut novel, loosely based on the author's father's experiences,...raises important questions about nationalism, equality and identity and fills a void in Holocaust literature for this age group."-Kirkus Reviews A Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winner A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year An Instructor Magazine Best Kids' Historical Fiction Book A Massachusetts Book Awar Must-Read Book