All Four Quarters of the Moon

On her last night in Singapore, Peijing makes mooncakes with her Ah-Ma (grandma). She’s not sure if they have them in Australia where the family are relocating for Ba Ba’s job.

But when she and her little sister, Biju, arrive at their new home, mooncakes are the least of their worries. Everything is different: food, customs, clothing – and the fact that there are poisonous snakes.

Feeling disorientated and lost, Peijing and Biju cling to one of the few things they have brought from their old life: a box of paper characters, their ‘Little World’ where they can lose themselves in the stories they invent and forget the challenges of the real world.

But a paper world can only shield them from reality for a short while.

This gentle yet powerful story reflects the experience of many immigrants and refugees when faced with a sudden move from one culture to another. Peijing is willing to adapt and change but her mother finds it overwhelmingly difficult to adjust the standards of formality and honour she has lived with all her life, causing conflict in a previously stable family.

Lyrical writing, great characters and an uplifting message make this a joy to read.