Diana Rosie Boeken

"Italy, 1938. Mussolini is in power and war is not far away ... Clara and Pippo are just children: quiet, thoughtful Clara is the older sister, Pippo the younger brother is forever chatting. The family has only recently arrived in the city carrying their few possessions. When Mamma goes missing early one morning, both Clara and Pippo go in search of her. Clara turns right; Pippo, left. As a result of the choices they make that morning, their lives will be changed forever. Diana Rosie's Pippo and Clara tells the story of a family and a country divided. But will Clara and Pippo - and their mother - find each other again?"--Publisher

A story about love and loss - and how so much of our lives hinges on chance . . .

"A little boy and his grandfather embark on a quest to find the old man's missing birthday in Diana Rosie's debut novel, Alberto's Lost Birthday. As a child, Alberto lost his birthday in the Spanish civil war. Now an old man living a simple life, he rarely thinks about his disappeared past. But when his grandson discovers his Apu has never had a birthday party, never blown out candles on a birthday cake, and never received a single card or present, he's determined to do something about it. As the two set off to find Alberto's birthday, they have no idea it will be a journey that takes them through Spain's troubled past, to places - and people - that Alberto once knew. But in a country that has vowed to move forward, looking back can be difficult. Will they be able to find the memories they're searching for?" (publisher)