Life According to Dani

Lagercrantz, Rose

ISBN 10: 1776570707 / ISBN 13: 9781776570706

Published by Gecko Pr, 2016

Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00102647711

Synopsis:

A standalone follow-up to the acclaimed and beloved chapter books that began with NY Times Notable Book My Happy Life.

It's Dani's first summer vacation—and the best ever! She is staying on an island with Ella, her best friend in the world. Dad is still in hospital but he calls every day, and Ella and Dani stay busy building huts, fishing, exploring, and swimming.

Then Dad turns up, but with his nurse! This is not the visit anyone had imagined.

This warm, funny story allows space for strong emotions as Dani comes to terms with her father's new girlfriend, but does so with a light touch.

Review:

"Dani, spending the summer with her best friend, Ella, while her father recuperates from an accident, is dismayed to discover that he has a girlfriend. In this fourth collaboration between writer Lagercrantz and illustrator Eriksson, Dani is spending school summer break (her first!) at 'an island in the sea' with Ella and her family. The reason for this is that Dani's father, Gianni, was hit by a car and must stay in the hospital for several months. While the writing is fairly simple, the story is not simplistic. The central topic--Dani's missing her father and her feelings of betrayal when she discovers he has a girlfriend--is augmented by the flexible nuclear family models presented: Gianni is Dani's sole parent, Ella has an 'extra father, ' Paddy, and cousin Sven has no father. Lagercrantz's superb writing in Marshall's translation is touching and amusing without being saccharine, and her playful narrative cadence bounces back and forth between past and present tense. Eriksson's black-and-white illustrations add important emotional resonance to the mostly white cast of characters (Ella's and her mother's kinky hair may lead some readers to see them as black). How the dilemma of reconciling Dani to her father's girlfriend is managed is very clever, and everyone--readers included--will be satisfied. Another sterling early chapter book by this duo."--starred, Kirkus Reviews

--Journal

"Dani spends an idyllic summer by the sea with her friend Ella's family, while her father is hospitalized, healing after a serious accident. Somewhat recovered, Dad goes to visit Dani but makes the mistake of bringing his new girlfriend as a surprise. Still fragile after almost losing her only parent, Dani's just not ready for complications. She may adore her father, but she won't pretend that she's not angry and hurt. An apology opens the door to reconciliation and maybe (at a slower pace) an eventual change. Few books capture the strength and subtlety of children's emotions as honestly as those in the Dani series, originally published in Sweden. Because of their continuing story line, they should be read in order. The fourth volume offers a simply written narrative and wonderfully expressive ink drawings that convey the character's feelings with clarity and resonance. With one or two illustrations on each double-page spread, this beginning chapter book is an inviting choice for group sharing or independent reading."--Booklist

--Website

Bibliographic Details

Title: Life According to Dani
Publisher: Gecko Pr
Publication Date: 2016
Binding: Hardcover
Illustrator: Eriksson, Eva
Condition: Very Good