Overview

The warm-hearted follow-up story of audacious and captivating six-year-old Hattie, a modern-day Pippi Longstocking. Hattie and best friend Linda navigate the social politics of their first school years in this funny illustrated chapter book for early readers. With all the humour, anarchy and energy of Pippi Longstocking, this is a perfect story of friendship and resilience for young independent readers. Hattie wants a horse more than anything. Her friend Ellen has three ponies. When Hattie’s father finally comes home with a horse trailer, Hattie is ecstatic. But instead of a horse, out stomps Olaf—a donkey. Now Hattie not only has horse fever, she suddenly catches lying sickness as well. Inclined to emotional storms and exaggeration—always with the best intentions—Hattie is the very true picture of the rebellious, overenthusiastic six-year-old in all of us.   Other books by Frida Nilsson: Hattie (selected as The Times Children’s Book of the Week) The Ice Sea Pirates

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9781776573172

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Reviews

In this Swedish import via New Zealand, early-elementary-age Hattie longs for a horse but gets a donkey instead. Following the events of Hattie (2020), the little girl is now in her second year of school with best friend Linda. Linda is not horse crazy like the rest of the girls in the class--but Hattie is. Hattie longs for a horse, but when her father gets her a broken-down donkey named Olaf (and is very pleased with himself), Hattie cannot bring herself to tell her classmates the truth. Instead, she makes up a story of a new, grumpy neighbor who has three white horses. Eventually the truth gets out and Hattie has to endure her classmates' taunts. This quirky and terribly funny story is told in a present-tense, third-person-omniscient voice and revels in the perspective of a young child. Readers will appreciate the innocent view full of the limits of a young child's experience and fears: 'For grownups, nothing is dangerous enough to worry over, ' and 'Death used to be sort of fun.' As Hattie navigates school, with all the casual cruelties kids can inflict, she learns something about loyalty and what is really important to her. Wirsen's black-and-white illustrations are full of spark and life, complementing the story's quirky aspect. All characters' skin is illustrated as the white of the paper. A sparkling story that honors the sensibilities and world of young schoolchildren.--Kirkus Reviews -- Journal (7/27/2021 12:00:00 AM)

During one year in the life of Swedish middle-grader Hattie, she survives a protracted period of violent bullying, alienates and then reconciles with her best friend and rehabilitates a rescue donkey (which her well-meaning father bought her instead of the longed-for horse). But none of these plot strands follows an expected arc, nor are they narrated in a typical reassuring tone. Hattie incites the bullying herself by slugging classmate Alfie and breaking his nose, launching an escalating payback series of attacks. Wise interventions by parents and teachers are fruitless; the deep pleasures of revenge are too potent. The kids finally work it out for themselves in an effective scheme that would not be recommended in any anti-bullying program. Hattie lies, sulks, and steals. Is she presented as dysfunctional? No, just real. What keeps all this buoyant is a rambling, funny, fearless omniscient narrator who skitters away from sentimentality at just the right moment. 'Hattie thinks a lot about Jesus and all his donkeys. Life is so easy for some people. If you're Jesus, having a donkey is no trouble; people clap their hands whatever you come up with. But if you're a rotten little Hattie, it's another story.' Pen and wash illustrations in a loopy, squiggly style suit the tone completely. This is the perfect offering for readers who have graduated from the Dani books by Lagercrantz and Eriksson (All's Happy That Ends Happy, rev. 11/20) or who resonate with Hilary McKay's brand of bracing hilarity (Saffy's Angel, rev. 7/02).--The Horn Book Magazine -- Journal (11/8/2021 12:00:00 AM) In this Swedish import via New Zealand, early-elementary-age Hattie longs for a horse but gets a donkey instead. Following the events of Hattie (2020), the little girl is now in her second year of school with best friend Linda. Linda is not horse crazy like the rest of the girls in the class--but Hattie is. Hattie longs for a horse, but when her father gets her a broken-down donkey named Olaf (and is very pleased with himself), Hattie cannot bring herself to tell her classmates the truth. Instead, she makes up a story of a new, grumpy neighbor who has three white horses. Eventually the truth gets out and Hattie has to endure her classmates' taunts. This quirky and terribly funny story is told in a present-tense, third-person-omniscient voice and revels in the perspective of a young child. Readers will appreciate the innocent view full of the limits of a young child's experience and fears: 'For grownups, nothing is dangerous enough to worry over, ' and 'Death used to be sort of fun.' As Hattie navigates school, with all the casual cruelties kids can inflict, she learns something about loyalty and what is really important to her. Wirsen's black-and-white illustrations are full of spark and life, complementing the story's quirky aspect. All characters' skin is illustrated as the white of the paper. A sparkling story that honors the sensibilities and world of young schoolchildren.--Kirkus Reviews -- Journal (7/27/2021 12:00:00 AM)

Author Information

Frida Nilsson is a leading Swedish author who has been an August Prize nominee three times and won the Astrid Lindgren Prize in 2014. In 2017 she was selected as one of Europe’s best emerging writers for young people through the Hay Festival’s Aarhus 39. Her books have been translated throughout Europe and nominated for the prestigious Youth Literature Prize in Germany and several literary awards in France. Nilsson’s writing is characterised by humour and sincerity. She writes about the big questions in life—friendship, death and love—and has been compared to Roald Dahl and Astrid Lindgren. Stina Wirsén is one of Sweden’s most popular and prolific children’s book illustrators. She has illustrated and written numerous books of different genres that have been published all over the world and dramatized on stage and TV.

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