Black Radishes

October 15, 2010

Gustave Becker, an 11-year-old Jewish Boy Scout, and his parents flee to St.-Georges-sur-Cher in the Loire Valley from Paris during World War II to escape the growing hatred in the city and bide their time until they receive immigration visas to the United States. Luckily, their rental home falls just inside the unoccupied zone when Germany invades France. Younger readers may need background information on the Holocaust and France's Vichy government, but they will understand the life-threatening intensity of Gustave's predicament, as his family continues to be the target of hostility, he joins the French Resistance and he helps his Swiss-born father, who has papers to cross the Demarcation Line, smuggle contraband and even family members across the border. While this debut novel, loosely based on the author's father's experiences, often rushes through key plot elements, it raises important questions about nationalism, equality and identity and fills a void in Holocaust literature for this age group. Pair it with The Dog in the Wood, by Monika Schröder (2009), for another fictionalized family account of the Holocaust from a rarely told perspective. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

January 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-After a somewhat slow beginning, this story of the plight of Jews in France from 1940 to 1942 develops into a dramatic tale of courage and determination. Gustave Becker, 11, lives in Paris, enjoying his time with his friend Marcel and his cousin Jean Paul. Then his parents suddenly announce that the family will be moving to Saint-Georges, which they believe to be safer, until they can get visas to go to America. A more even pace follows as Gustave deals with being in a new place and hiding the fact that he is Jewish. He is taunted by Phillipe, a bully who has a visceral hatred of Jews. Gustave develops a friendship with Nicole, a Catholic girl who turns out to be the daughter of Resistance fighters. The story becomes exciting when Gustave takes over her Resistance task when she is sick. The black radishes of the title refer to bribes his father tries to make with German border guards between the occupied and unoccupied zones. Meyer shines light on the bravery of Resistance fighters, and her story gradually crescendos into a gripping read comparable to Marilyn Sachs's classic A Pocket Full of Seeds (Doubleday, 1972), Carol Matas's Greater Than Angels (S & S, 1998), and Norma Fox Mazer's Good Night, Maman (Harcourt, 1999).-Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
Grades 4-7 The story begins in Paris in 1940, when discrimination against Jews in France has become more blatant and more dangerous for Gustave and his parents. Hiding their religious identity, they move to a small village, where they wait for their immigration visas. Soon the border of German-occupied France is established near their home. Like his father, Gustave begins to take uncommon risks, crossing over to find food and helping those who want to escape. Partly based on Meyers fathers experiences, the story derives its credibility from the vivid details of daily life and the depiction of changes slowly taking place within Gustave, who balances the occasional cruelty he endures with the friendship and trust he sometimes finds. The novels tension builds slowly, reaching its crescendo when Gustave masters his fears in the face of mortal danger. This fine first novel could be read in conjunction with The Good Liar (1999), which takes place in occupied France during WWII.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2011
Gustave and his parents flee 1940 Paris; luckily, they end up on the right (i.e., free) side of the river between German-occupied France and the rest of the country. However, scarcity of food sends Gustave's father across the demarcation line. Meyer builds tension by using real-life events and creating in Gustave a very believable boy who behaves bravely when he must.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2011
Paris in 1940 is not safe for Jewish families, so Gustave and his parents leave for the small town of Saint-Georges; luckily for them, they end up on the right (i.e., free) side of the river between German-occupied France and the rest of the country. Eleven-year-old Gustave finds the new town to be noticeably unfriendly, and he becomes increasingly fearful as he gradually paints each country red on his European map as it is taken over by Germany. The scarcity of food sends Gustave's father across the demarcation line to illegally barter with farmers, and precious black radishes turn out to be an excellent distraction for the Nazi officers guarding the border. First-time novelist Meyer builds the tension by using real-life events (detailed in an author's note), creating in Gustave a very believable boy struggling to learn to cover up his emotions, who behaves bravely when he must. Modern young readers may be surprised to learn about the difficulties of life in Vichy France as well as the distress felt by French citizens as their own government began to cave in on their hard-fought principles of liberte, egalite, and fraternite. SUSAN DOVE LEMPKE

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

October 15, 2010

Gustave Becker, an 11-year-old Jewish Boy Scout, and his parents flee to St.-Georges-sur-Cher in the Loire Valley from Paris during World War II to escape the growing hatred in the city and bide their time until they receive immigration visas to the United States. Luckily, their rental home falls just inside the unoccupied zone when Germany invades France. Younger readers may need background information on the Holocaust and France's Vichy government, but they will understand the life-threatening intensity of Gustave's predicament, as his family continues to be the target of hostility, he joins the French Resistance and he helps his Swiss-born father, who has papers to cross the Demarcation Line, smuggle contraband and even family members across the border. While this debut novel, loosely based on the author's father's experiences, often rushes through key plot elements, it raises important questions about nationalism, equality and identity and fills a void in Holocaust literature for this age group. Pair it with The Dog in the Wood, by Monika Schr�der (2009), for another fictionalized family account of the Holocaust from a rarely told perspective. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)