"A gelato shop in Hungary becomes a hideout for Jews during World War II. Francesco, a young Italian boy, falls in love with ice cream in every flavor. When he moves to Hungary, to the city of Budapest, there is none to be found as tasty as what he loved as a child, so he opens Francesco’s Gelato. No Hungarian culinary specialties are on this menu. One day he encounters a young boy named Peter who shares his passion. After some years pass, the German war against Jews comes to Hungary, and Peter and his family are in danger. Francesco, who has closed his shop, now uses it to hide them and some other Jews. And in the midst of the darkness, Peter finds a special way to celebrate Hanukkah, the festival of lights. The author’s note informs readers that, years later, Peter (known as Yitzchak in Israel) petitioned Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum, to honor Francesco as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. It is Peter’s daughter-in-law who has written this simple but moving tale of quiet heroism.... An accessible and memorable account for young readers of one man’s humanity during the Holocaust." (Kirkus Reviews)

"In the winter of 1944, Francesco Tirelli (a real person) helps Jews find hiding places from the Nazis, many of them in the back room of his closed-for-the-season Budapest gelateria. While in hiding, teenaged Peter - identified in an epilogue as the author's father-in-law - creates a menorah using a chocolate mold and cooking oil.... The gentle, smoothly translated text doesn't spell out many details of the Holocaust, but should work well as a discussion starter. A hopeful tale of kindness, resourcefulness, and comfort in Hanukkah traditions." (The Horn Book Magazine)