The Honey Jar: An Armenian's Escape the Freedom
The Honey Jar: An Armenian's Escape the Freedom
Based on a true story, only some members of a family escape the Armenian genocide and one of them, just a boy during the flight, must return to find a sister who was left behind.
“Fantastic reading, well covered, and beautifully presented.” —Varoujan Der Simonian, President, Board of Trustees, Armenian Museum of Fresno
In 1920, eight-year-old Bedros fled Armenia with his young sisters, grandmother, and uncle to escape the Turkish soldiers invading their town. But in the confusion, Bedros lost sight of the adults and was left alone to protect his siblings. Told in verse, suspenseful and heartrending, The Honey Jar depicts a journey from desperation to freedom, anchored in Bedros’s promise to return to his native land and to find the one he left behind. His story will touch the hearts of families everywhere, especially those who have experienced the longing for a new life.
Joan Schoettler earned a Masters in Arts in Reading and Language from Fresno Pacific University. The Honey Jar is her first middle grade novel. Her picture books include Ruth Asawa: A Sculpting Life, A Home for George, and Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth which received the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. She also received the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award. She lives with her husband in California where they raised three sons. Visit her at joanschoettler.com.