Hattie

International bestseller by Frida Nilsson; illustrated by Stina Wirsén; Translated by Julia Marshall

Hattie is a street-smart country girl in her first year of school.   lives just outside of nowhere, right next to no one at all.   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.

Hattie is perfect for newly independent readers from Frida Nilsson, whose award-winning The Ice Sea Pirates was an international bestseller. Read the publisher's interview with Frida here.

"This is the story of Hattie.  Hattie lives just outside of nowhere, right next to no one at all.

Her house is red and has its own name.  There are jabbering ducks in the duckhouse, and hens that wander and poor in her mother's flowerbeds.  Hattie has a dog called Tacka and two stripy outdoor cats, Havana and Stick.

Hattie has been waiting forever for school to start.  She's looking forward to it so much, she might burst."

Hardcover, 148 pages.

Gecko Press.

Reviews:

"Nilsson has a peculiar power to make you remember exactly what it was like to be small, fierce, disempowered and six." ~ The Times

"Her worries, struggles and enthusiasm will be familiar to young readers and make Hattie familiar and likeable – someone you’d like to have as a friend…Imbued with colour and a very Swedish feel, Hattie introduces Australian readers to a loveable, naughty and very full of life young girl. Spending a year in Hattie’s world is an enjoyable and enlightening experience." ~ Magpies

"Nilsson’s rambunctious 6 year old heroine, Hattie, will quickly become your child’s new best friend." ~ What We Do All Day

"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." ~ INES 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." ~ Dimity Powell

"Hattie is a fun, and funny book. Her adventures are sweet and she quickly becomes an endearing child." ~NetGalley

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

"Hattie reminded me of audacious Pippi Longstocking – but Hattie is her own extraordinary self, and she’s excellent company." ~ NZ Poetry Box, Paula Green

"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 lovable Hattie and her antics. Hattie is the perfect series for newly independent readers." ~ Outside in the 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) … This is really a collection of the funniest dispatches from her first school year … 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" ~ 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