The main characters in this book is the Kawashima family who are {nicknames used in the book} Honorable Mother, Honorable Sister, Honorable Brother, and Little One, which is Yoko. Little One is an eight year old girl who is driven from her home in the bamboo groove by a terrible war. Then the whole family except for Honorable Brother is forced to leave when a close soldier friend warns them about more soldiers coming to fight. Leaving a note for Honorable Brother they head toward the main city, facing many dangers on the way. The dangers include an army attack, a derailed train, and the sudden drastic death of Honorable Mother. Then finally the journey ends with one of their many friends letting them stay with them, and meeting up again with Honorable Brother. It is a journey filled with many tears and wonderful friends that somehow always befriend them at the right time.

There are many reasons I enjoyed this book. I learned a couple of things about Asia like how the typical daily life was before the war. I also learned how families back then got along to help each other. I really enjoyed the book because it taught me a bit more about how important it is to work together, especially when there is a war going on.