Author Description

Written in diary form, this Cinderella-themed tale is expertly woven by the master award-winning authoress, Barbara Brooks Wallace. Anderson "Andy" Lillibeth Wardell makes 25 entries in her diary, spanning 8 long months, taking place in China and the United States. It is a most unsettling and trying time for the 10-year-old, whose been nicknamed Shao Gwai (Little Devil) by her servants! Andy confides in us that she wishes her newborn baby brother be whisked off to an orphanage in China, where he would only visit her to deliver presents from time-to-time. But Andy discovers you must be very careful what you wish for when her baby brother goes away forever -- taking Mummy with him. Her tribulations ratchet up whilst in the U.S., when her Daddy marries a widow with twin daughters, both of whom befriend a stuck-up girl Andy thinks stole her best friend, Donald. It all reaches a fever pitch when an older Chinese girl at school confides in Andy, entrusting her with a secret that is almost more than she can bear to know. The diary culminates with a showdown between Donald and Andy during Christmastime, under a mistletoe. Andy's adventures have ended -- but it may be the start of a whole new diary!