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Our books are written by award winning authors. We publish children's books (Middle Grade), Young Adult, New Adult fiction and non fiction in print, ebook, audio and for the bibliotherapy service as Living Books.

Living Books

A Cake for the Gestapo

Jacqueline King (2020)

A Cake for the Gestapo cover
  • Rating
  • Genre:
    Crime Historical Action and Adventure Diaries Suspense
  • Age: 11 +
  • Price: £7.99

Slotting in beside THE MACHINE GUNNERS and WAR HORSE, A CAKE FOR THE GESTAPO tells the story of a fictional gang of kids in Jersey during the German Occupation in WW2, weaving in very real islanders' own stories of the Occupation at its core - A history that has never before been told in children's literature June 1940. Jersey. Joe makes light of his father's unpredictable anger, and Spinner tries to ignore the school bully, Percy, while dealing with her own mounting fears. As for Ginger, her cousin, he's nervous of the biggest bully of all, Hitler, while her neighbour, farmer's son Clem, is apparently just keeping his head down. But on the sly, Clem is learning to box, has hidden a gun and he's going to deal with Percy - and possibly the Germans - all by himself. All the same, none of them believes the Germans will actually invade. Then the island is bombed, Joe is injured and outrage turns to terror as the Germans arrive and their grip on the peaceful island tightens. Initially, the adults avoid direct confrontation, while the gang is determined to go further, aiming to destroy German morale and trip them up in their every move. At first, they simply play tricks on the soldiers, but as the situation worsens, their defiance escalates, leading them all into terrible, mortal danger. As the Occupation wears on, and deprivation turns to starvation, a distinct plan emerges for the kids - the successful elimination from the island of a Gestapo sergeant, the cruel and repugnant Viktor.

I wrote A Cake for the Gestapo because children in England didn't know about the German occupation of Jersey. Then, I met a wonderful man who had lived through it and he said he had such fun when the Germans were here, playing tricks so I thought yes, I'll write about a gang playing tricks and then they play a trick too many. It starts off very funny but there are dark moments, dangerous times and yet it is full of hope and friendship too. The message is don't give up, be brave, be kind, look after each other and laugh at destiny. Don't let the bad side influence you, don't be bullied.
An unusual and fascinating setting, vivid characters and an involving plot, all woven together with a fine, sensuous and rhythmic prose.

Anthony McGowan, award winning author, Lark (winner of Carnegie Medal), Hellbent, Hello Darkness, The Knife that Killed Me and numerous others, including books for younger children. / Book Review

A brilliant book; it’s really engaging with a tremendously page-turning storyline, which kids will love. It would make a great film too.

Lucy Coats, author of Cleo and Chosen / Book Review

Life Challenges

  • Grief
  • Living in war
  • Separation
  • Staying Safe
  • Making life choices

Themes

  • Friendship
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Community
  • Mental Health
  • Transitions

What's Great?

  • Gripping plotline
  • Character driven
  • Beautiful imagery
  • Delightful use of language
  • Great characters

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