New Swedish Books, Spring 2020 1
New Swedish Books 20 Kerstin, Life, and Death Ker
stin has wet the bed too, even though she’s big now. Or maybe it’s the family’s cat Kattegatt who’s made the bed wet? But why has he gone missing? Life’s challenges line up in Kerstin, Life, and Death, the third instalment of Helena Hedlund’s stories about Kerstin, her family and her friend Gunnar. This summer it turns out that her classmate Fatima is moving and a new boy, Pavel, shows up at Gunnar’s place. Together they use every trick they have up their sleeves to find Kattegatt, and it seems Pavel isn’t such a bad friend after all. It’s a summer when nothing is as it should be and when they learn that no one can live forever. In 2018 Helena Hedlund received the ‘Slangbellan’ award for best children’s or young adult debut book for her first book about Kerstin, but you don’t have to have read the previous instalments to know what’s going on here. She describes Kerstin’s life and thoughts both tenderly and in a down-to-earth way. It’s pleasant, exciting and fun, all at once! Helena Hedlund Works Det fina med Kerstin, chapter book, 2018 Att vara Kerstin, chapter book, 2019 Awards Slangbellan 2018, Nils Holgersson-plaketten 2018 Chapter book, 6-9 years, 173 p. Helena Hedlund (text) b. 1978 Katarina Strömgård (ill.) b. 1971 Publisher Natur & Kultur www.nok.se Katarina Strömgård Selected works En liten röd hare, picture book, 2017 En hemlig katt, picture book, 2017 Awards Augustpriset 2005 Rights Koja Agency Carin Bacho carin.bacho@kojaagency.com Photo: Kicki Nilsson Photo: Siri Ahmed Backström