War shatters lives and families, no matter whose 'side' you are supposedly on. For Ellen, a young German girl, and her family, it means dispossession and dispersion. With no knowledge of her father's whereabouts, she and her family travel across Germany as refugees, with little food, and comfort even scarcer. What marks these touching memoirs out is not only the genuine stories of war, and how the German nation suffered as much as any other, it is also a testimony to warmth, love, hope and good humour. Throughout, Ellen realises just how lucky she is to have the people she loves most close to...