by Hazel Barker (Author)
Hazel's idyllic childhood is torn apart by the bombing of Rangoon, just prior to Christmas 1941. Her parents convince her she is off on a marvellous holiday as they flee the city - leaving her precious dolls behind.
The Japanese armies overrun Burma, forcing her family to flee from one refuge to another. Hazel's father, a Muslim, has worked for the British government and initially relies on the official refugee policy. Her mother, a Catholic, fears for her children - especially Hazel's older brothers who take daring opportunities to harass the Japanese.
Told through a child's eyes, this story tells of a family's travails during the darkest days of enemy occupation. Threaded with light, shot through with hope, it recounts Hazel's hard-won passage from innocence to maturity.