Hattie

Hattie is a street-smart country girl in her first year of school. She lives just outside of nowhere, right next to no one at all. Luckily she’s starting school and that brings new adventures. Hattie gets her first swimming badge, falls madly in love with a hermit crab and meets a best friend. Sometimes things go wrong—like when the hairdresser cuts her hair into stumps just in time for school photos. And while Hattie tries her best, it’s not always easy to be well behaved... Hattie is perfect for newly independent readers from Frida Nilsson, whose award-winning The Ice Sea Pirates was an international bestseller.

"Hattie reminded me of audacious Pippi Longstocking – but Hattie is her own extraordinary self, and she’s excellent company."

 

-- NZ Poetry Box – Paula Green

"The simple, very expressive illustrations done in pen and ink and outlined in black add much to enjoying the adventures of this little girl. This story would make a good read-aloud for 1st or 2nd graders."

 

-- Youth Services Book Review

"Hattie proves to be a memorable heroine with an impulsive streak and a nose for trouble and is somewhat reminiscent of that other Scandinavian mischief maker Pippi Longstocking. The school story is a familiar one in children’s literature, but Hattie’s tale is told in a fresh, funny and oh-so-relatable way. Her worries and fears will be familiar to all readers, big and small, and her empathetic reactions to the situations in which she finds herself make this a realistic and engrossing read. Nilsson is a master at making you see the world through her characters’ eyes, and Hattie is a character to be celebrated in this charming, funny and relatable book. With quirky and amusing illustrations by Stina Wirsén, Hattie is a  pure delight from start to finish and will be eagerly gobbled up by young readers everywhere."

Reviewed by Brenda Frawley

-- INIS Magazine

"There is much to love about this loud-talking, large-hearted, scamp of a girl. Her spirit blinds you with its brilliance. Humour bubbles through every candid utterance and through every artless thought until your tummy wobbles with mirth. Frida Nilsson's masterful portrayal of a primary-schooler in their prime is both funny and poignantly on point."

 

-- Dimity Powell - Dim’s Write Stuff

"The combination of storytelling style and gentle setting, led by a girl with a big heart who just seems to get it wrong now and then, really reminded me of my childhood favourite Pippi Longstocking.
The narrative is simple but gloriously nostalgic and charming.
It’s a super choice for children near the beginning of their independent reading journey as each chapter gives them the fulfilment of a whole story.
I also adore the quirky style of Stina Wirsen’s illustrations which adorn the pages throughout.
This is a brilliant example of why we should be bringing more books in translation to our shores and our bookshelves."

 

-- Kate Poels writes

"Hattie’s cover T-shirt “Watch Out” sets the tone for Hattie’s adventures. Many of Hattie’s escapades are rebellious but she is often the one who tones down her behaviour or recognises her own failings and does something to correct them. Short chapters make this book inviting to younger readers. Sentence structure is simple but not simplistic. There are occasional black line drawings which enliven the text."

 

-- The Children’s Book Council of Australia Reading Time

"While Hattie is a mischievous child prone to dramatizing and over thinking situations, she is an endearing character. She has a very contrite and caring side when she realizes she has gone too far. It is an easy to read story with short chapters and would be a great read aloud story for Junior Primary students. The simple illustrations by Stina Wirsen are spaced throughout the text and make a welcome addition to the story."

 

-- Readplus

"It’s a completely wild ride – from hysterical laughing to nail-biting nerves, Hattie puts you through your paces. For a large part this is because she is a huge troublemaker. Yet what makes her antics so amusing is that her impulsiveness leads them to (nearly) go very wrong – Hattie gets a little more than she bargained for! 

Frida Nilsson is a worthy successor to the great Astrid Lindgren, and indeed Hattie could very easily be this generation’s Pippi Longstocking."

Readings

-- Jeremy George works as a bookseller at Readings Malvern

"Readers are sure to be endeared to Hattie’s independent spirit. The simple line pen and ink drawings by Stina Wirsén are comical and expressive and help to capture the loveable Hattie and her antics. Hattie is the perfect series for newly independent readers."

 

-- Outside in World

"Youngsters around Hattie’s age will surely love reading about, or hearing of, her escapades; this is a girl with a thirst for fun, a total charmer who just doesn’t stop and think about the consequences of her actions before plunging straight in. She does though pause for thought, reflect and take on board the lessons learned.

The occasional line drawings by Stina Wirsén are a sheer delight too."

 

-- Red Reading Hub

"Hattie is from the Pippi Longstocking school of clever, anti-establishment little girls who have the capacity for misrule until their conscience kicks in, their hearts turn to fondant and they return to the path of righteousness (while avoiding piety)… the translator, Julia Marshall, has done the story proud; it’s told with elegant precision and Nilsson has a peculiar power to make you remember exactly what it was like to be small, fierce, disempowered and six . . . even when you’re 46."

-- The Times

"A young mischief-maker manages to get herself out of mishaps. Six-year-old Hattie lives with her loving parents in a red house in Sweden. Their town is "far out in the middle of nowhere." Hattie loves that she's started school. She rides on the bus, does well, and makes friends. Each brief chapter in this gently comical novel describes various escapades Hattie gets up to, often alone, sometimes with her best pal. Readers will be intrigued by Hattie's adventures and will note that each one offers a glimpse into her conscience and lively, persevering personality. Not coincidentally, the incidents advance Hattie's character development, though she remains a child her age. Like most kids, Hattie can be peevish, has a playful, creative imagination, enjoys testing her limits, and doesn't usually foresee or understand the consequences of impulsivity. Still, when events don't conclude the way she'd hoped or planned, Hattie gets sad, angry, or annoyed with herself, learning lessons probably no grown-ups could teach better. Readers will note Hattie's rarely scolded; however, adults are often oblivious to her activities, and she does chide herself. This fast-paced, amusing charmer, with clipped sentences that promote quick reading, is a Swedish import via New Zealand and offers interesting insight into some Nordic customs. Loose black-line illustrations add humor and suggest that all characters are white. An interview with the author appears in the backmatter. Readers will appreciate getting to know Hattie." (Fiction. 7-10)

-- Kirkus Reviews

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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