Miss Happiness and Miss Flower (Paperback)

As "Harry Potter" calls out to today's young bright outsiders looking for somewhere to truly belong, this book spoke to me. It mesmerised me as a little girl. As an USAF "brat" I very much understand Nona's ache and anger as the "weird" outsider. I fell in love with the dolls as well. Their "voices" sounded like two little doting "aunties" as they subtly manipulated Nona and Belinda into seeing past their differences and fears and into finding friendship. If only I had had such a wonderful pair of guardian angels of my own back then.

Rumer does a great job of painting two total opposites of little girls with warmth and sympathy while never truly turning either into either a villian or a bad joke (way too rare). She showed that even our flaws can become strengths when they are accepted and we are willing to be loved.

One thing that really grabbed me as a child was that the book included all the plans for the house and the furnishings the girls eventually build for their little foriegn guests. I spent hours pouring over the school library copy back then. I nearly wore it out. Now my girls will be able to indulge in the same pleasure without having to always be on the look out for the due date.

This time we'll be building the Japanese doll house together.

This book is about a girl named Nona who comes from India to live with her aunt and uncle. Her cousins' names are Tom, Anne, and Belinda. She is very unhappy and lonely until two dolls arrive called Miss Happiness and Miss Flower. There was supposed to be a doll called Little Peach in the box too but he was not there. This really disappoints Belinda. When they arrive the whole family gets involved in making a Japanese doll's house. The kids get help from Mr. Twilfit who runs the bookstore who gives them book about Japan. Tom does all the building. Nona reads about Japan and their festivals and houses. Melly, a friend Nona meets at school and her mom help too. Anne sews the dolls' clothes. Everyone pitches in except Belinda. She is mean and spiteful because she feels jealous of all the attention that Nona is getting.
All through the story the reader wonders if Belinda will ruin the dolls' house. She also refuses to let Miss Flower live in the Japanese house.
Nona decides to write her aunt and ask for the Little Peach. When he arrives they have peaches for breakfast and Belinda is happy because Little Peach is inside her fruit. All ends happily because Nona likes her new school and family.
I would recommend this book because it is a little different and a sweet story about a family coming together.