The Day My Father Became A Bush by Joke van Leeuwen

The funny thing is, I read almost the whole way through this before I realized it was contemporary. I had thought it was WW2. Then someone in the story started typing on a computer and there were plastic baggies and her parents are separated but not by war and I was like whaaaat?

Anyway! The story is well written and has the true voice of a child. The illustrations are good too. Its about a girl who has to flee over the border during wartime to the safety of her mother's house (which she's never seen). Her father is a soldier but all she really knows is that he was a fine pastry chef and now he spends his time disguised as a bush.

It is a chapter book so probably recommended for ages 8-12