The Year of the Mask is a story for girls aged 8–13. It describes the lives of two friends when their boarding school is closed, during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020–21, before a vaccine was developed. Song-Wei is unable to return to her home in China and goes to stay with her friend Annelise in Somerset. It follows their time in ‘lockdown’, sharing their worries for their families, who are working on the frontline in England, China and The Congo. Song-Wei’s parents are missionaries in the Congo and her grandparents are working in a Covid-19 hospital in China. Annelise’s father and brother are both working on the front line in hospitals in England with Covid-19 patients. Through the challenges and difficulties they face, they grow to know Jesus’ help and comfort and find a deep faith in God as they help the people in the village where they are living.
