New Swedish Books, Spring 2020 1
19 Spring 2020 The Moon, the Being and Me Moony h
as had enough, and is tired of having to explain to everyone in the entire world that it’s in fact pretty easy living as neither he or she. No one has the right to ask whether you’ve got a penis or a vagina or demand that you grow up and decide if you want to call yourself a boy or a girl. That’s why Moony has decided to become the world’s youngest YouTuber and tell people what it’s like to be Moony, someone who is their own person and who won’t be pigeonholed. But it’s hard to constantly encounter hostility and intolerance. Sometimes when Moony feels most lonely only the moon outside the window understands. And every so often the Being appears, poking around when life is really tough and the prejudices are coming in thick and fast. It is extra painful when relatives are being both ignorant and rude, and when, during the traditional Lucia celebrations, only boys and girls are sung about, as if theys didn’t even exist. Ylva Karlsson writes sensitively and believably about eight-year-old Moony’s emotional world and thoughts. The Moon, the Being and Me is an affectionate, empathetic book that is deeply touching. It succeeds at improving one’s understanding of what it’s like growing up as a child outside of society’s norms Ylva Karlsson Selected works Tova, chapter book, 1998 Ossian och Samuel-serien, chapter books, 2012-15 Selected awards Slangbellan 1998 Augustpriset 2009 Sofia Falkenhem Selected works Kronan, chapter book, 2018 Numerous book series Chapter book, 6-9 years, 224 p. Ylva Karlsson (text) b. 1978 Sofia Falkenhem (ill.) b. 1982 Publisher Rabén & Sjögren www.rabensjogren.se Rights Koja Agency Carin Bacho carin.bacho@kojaagency.com Photo: Kajsa Göransson PhFoto: Henric Lindsten