Review: My Heart is Laughing by Rose Lagercrantz

Title: My Heart is Laughing

Series: Dunia #2

Author: Rose Lagercrantz

Publisher: Gecko Press Myrick Marketing & Media, LLC

Illustrator: Eva Eriksson

Release date:  8^th August 2014

Ages: 6+
Pages: 120

Amazon – The Book Depository

Synopsis (Goodreads) Dani's been trying her best to stay happy ever since her best friend Ella moved away. But when some girls in Dani's class start being cruel to her, it starts a chain of rather unhappy events... It would all be okay if only Ella would move back.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

My Heart is Laughing is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that focuses on a young girl named Dani who hopes that one day her best friend Ella who has moved away will return home; she has a difficult time making friends and is picked on by two other girls in her class both verbally and physically.

Dani was a really sweet character and convincing in her actions; her feelings had been hurt, she missed her best friend and she also felt guilt over an incident at school, she was a character you could sympathise with but one I also admired for her positivity and upbeat attitude.

We have dealt with bullying most recently at school so it was interesting to see how this aspect was dealt with but unfortunately for us it was unrealistic; Dani’s father’s reaction was certainly believable but the events which followed not so much.

I didn’t realise this book was a part of a series but we are keen to read the first book to see how it all started. We liked Rose Lagercrantz simplistic writing which was quite easy for my 7 year old to read and to also comprehend.

The illustrations were absolutely beautiful and captured the text perfectly.

Overall, an enjoyable story of a sweet young girl and her best friend that ends on a positive note; the true to life story was written well despite it being very different to our experiences.

I received a copy of this via the publisher/Netgally, in exchange for an honest review.

About the author: Rose Lagercrantz is a popular Swedish author of books for children as well as for adults. Her first book was published in 1973. She has received many of the top Swedish literary awards, including the August Prize and the Astrid Lindgren Prize.