Editorial Review

http://www.reading.org/reading-today/post/rty/2013/08/21/back-to-school-books#.UxSw4fldV20
Back to School Books
BY THE CL/R SIG
August 21, 2013

Lagercrantz, R. (2013). My happy life. Reprint Edition. New Zealand: Gecko Press.

Dani has been waiting for the beginning of the school year at her new school all summer long. When the day comes, she is excited but scared as well. What if she cannot find any friends? Her father tries to calm Dani down and tells her to think about happy moments. As Dani makes friends with Ella, her life at the new school becomes full and complete. But, to Dani’s frustration, Ella and her family move out of town. Dani feels angry and lonely. She tries to find other friends among her classmates; however, Dani just seems to create drama. Following her father’s advice, Dani starts to write her own storybook about happy moments in her life. Then, she gets a letter from Ella that invites her to come to celebrate Easter with Ella’s family. This visit becomes a realization of what happiness really is; Dani sees happiness in simple things such as friendship, caring, and love. This book is about learning and navigating one’s life in a new school and living in a single-parent home. The illustrations of the book are done in ink, and since Eriksson mostly relies on lines, the images provide dynamics to the story. My Happy Life is translated from Swedish by Julia Marshal and will definitely serve the classroom as a good and vivid example of international children’s literature.
– Oksana Lushchevska, The University of Georgia