Whilst Emilia’s mother worked sweeping the square in front of the president’s palace in Bucharest, Emilia spent her childhood days drawing in the dust and mud, when she should have been helping out. Emilia’s talent for drawing is what made her different. Gypsies did not go to school. Gypsies did not draw.

After a bout of persecution against gypsies in Bucharest, Emilia’s family are forced to flee and find refuge in England. For the first time in her life Emilia goes to school and starts to feel as though she could fit in somewhere. However, this new found happiness is soon cut short when once again her family take flight. For her own ‘safety’, Emilia’s family keep her locked in a room of a refugee hostel and she has no idea where she is. Emilia feels the walls closing in on her until she discovers a hidden diary. She decides to use the remaining blank pages to keep her own picture diary, and through her talent finds the courage she needs to break away in her desperate search for freedom.

Pictures From The Fire is a moving narrative which gives an insider’s view of gypsy culture, persecution and racism. It is an absorbing read which would make a valuable resource for classroom use as it is bound to stimulate a number of interesting discussions about cultures, racism and fitting in.