Nona, who was raised by her Ayah on her father’s tea estate in India, is sent back England to live with relatives at age eight. Given no choice in the matter, she feels very out of place in the new country. She dresses and talks differently, likes different things, and finds life in the city frighteningly fast-paced. Her older cousins are kind, but her younger cousin, jealous of the attention Nona was given, teases Nona and makes it harder for her to fit in. Then Great-Aunt Lucy sends two Japanese dolls from America, and as Nona works to make the two dolls from a foreign land feel comfortable, she finds herself making friends and adjusting to her new life, as well. The story is followed by detailed instructions for making a Japanese dollhouse, the project Nona and her cousins undertake in the book.
(NOTE: For those who want to read about further adventures of the girls and their Japanese dolls, Little Plum (1962) is a sequel. In this second book, however, Nona is well-adjusted to life in England and the focus is more on Nona’s cousin, Belinda, so it is not included on this website as a TCK book.)
Reading level: age 8-11 years