Description

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A MAN CALLED OVE, NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING TOM HANKS

Heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure, this novel will charm and delight anyone who has ever had a grandmother.

‘A touching, sometimes funny, often wise portrait of grief’ Kirkus

Everyone remembers the smell of their grandmother’s house.

Everyone remembers the stories their grandmother told them.

But does everyone remember their grandmother flirting with policemen? Driving illegally?

Breaking into a zoo in the middle of the night? Firing a paintball gun from a balcony in her dressing gown?

Seven-year-old Elsa does.

Some might call Elsa’s granny ‘eccentric’, or even ‘crazy’. Elsa calls her a superhero. And granny’s stories, of knights and princesses and dragons and castles, are her superpower. Because, as Elsa is starting to learn, heroes and villains don’t always exist in imaginary kingdoms; they could live just down the hallway.

As Christmas draws near, even the best superhero grandmothers may have one or two things they’d like to apologise for. And, in the process, Elsa can have some breath-taking adventures of her own . . .

Publisher Review

A highly compelling read and it was easy to lose myself in the story * Off the Shelf Blog * Told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as [OVE] . . . It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different. * Laura's Little Book Blog * A highly compelling read and it was easy to lose myself in the story * Off the Shelf blog * Told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as [OVE] . . . It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different. * Laura's Little Book Blog * The author's lightness of touch is definitely a contributor towards the novel's success. (It's already a best seller in his native country.) Fredrik conveys much in a few words . . . However a special warning to the ladies summed up in three words: wear waterproof mascara! I read the last few chapters verging between heart-glowing smiles and heart-wrenching sobs. I'll be ready for it the next few times I read it though and, indeed, the times after that. * The Bookbag * There are clear themes here, nominally: the importance of stories; the honesty of children; and the obtuseness of most adults, putting him firmly in league with the likes of Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman. A touching, sometimes funny, often wise portrait of grief. * Kirkus * A highly compelling read and it was easy to lose myself in the story * Off the Shelf blog * Told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as [OVE] . . . It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different. * Laura's Little Book Blog * The author's lightness of touch is definitely a contributor towards the novel's success. (It's already a best seller in his native country.) Fredrik conveys much in a few words . . . However a special warning to the ladies summed up in three words: wear waterproof mascara! I read the last few chapters verging between heart-glowing smiles and heart-wrenching sobs. I'll be ready for it the next few times I read it though and, indeed, the times after that. * The Bookbag * There are clear themes here, nominally: the importance of stories; the honesty of children; and the obtuseness of most adults, putting him firmly in league with the likes of Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman. A touching, sometimes funny, often wise portrait of grief. * Kirkus *