Chat with us, powered by LiveChat

Where Dani Goes, Happy Follows


Series
My Happy Life

by
Rose Lagercrantz
illustrated by
Eva Eriksson

Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Lerner
Imprint
Gecko Press
ISBN
9781776572250
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
$6.00   $5.00
SEE MEMBER PRICE
QTY

Dani’s father is in Rome and Dani is staying with her grandparents. She wants to be a surprise birthday present for her best friend, who lives far away. Her grandmother agrees—if Dani is brave enough to take the train by herself.
Black-and-white illustrations.

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None

Details

Format

Print

Page Count

196

Trim Size

6 1/4" x 8 1/4"

Dewey

F

AR

3.5: points 1

Lexile

520L

Genre

Fiction

Scholastic Reading Counts

5

JLG Release

Apr 2019

Book Genres


Topics

Family life. School. Vacations. Grandparents. Friends. Birthdays. Train travel. Single-parent families. Being sick.

Standard MARC Records

Download Standard MARC Records

Cover Art

Download Cover Art

Praise & Reviews

Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:

Kirkus Reviews*, The Horn Book Magazine*

Horn Book

This, the sixth volume in a series of early chapter books featuring Dani and her friend Ella (My Happy Life, rev. 7/13, and sequels), confidently assumes an audi¬ence of loyal readers with a chatty opening phrase, “Here is some more about Dani…” This confidence is well placed. Once you’ve met these sturdy Swedish girls, you want to check in with them regularly. A bit of tidy backstory reminds readers that Dani’s mother died when Dani was of daycare age and that she occasionally goes to live with her grandparents when her father (who periodi¬cally “got sad”) isn’t up to caring for her. During one such interval, Dani and her grandma cook up a plan for Dani to travel by train, all by herself, to visit Ella in a neighboring town. Disaster strikes when, despite careful planning, there’s nobody to meet Dani at journey’s end, and, stranded in the railway waiting room, she encounters bullies who steal her cellphone. Intertwining with the main plot is a subplot involving her father’s ex-girlfriend, Sadie. All of this adds up to far more than the sum of its parts, with gentle humor and deep strains of resilience and kindness. Both writer and illustrator treat Dani with total respect throughout her distress and confusion. Adults are realistically flawed, and things don’t necessarily work out (although, after several honest conversations Dani has with both Dad and Sadie, there is some hope that they might), but all characters are portrayed with compassion and understanding. This series just gets better and better.

Praise & Reviews

Horn Book

This, the sixth volume in a series of early chapter books featuring Dani and her friend Ella (My Happy Life, rev. 7/13, and sequels), confidently assumes an audi¬ence of loyal readers with a chatty opening phrase, “Here is some more about Dani…” This confidence is well placed. Once you’ve met these sturdy Swedish girls, you want to check in with them regularly. A bit of tidy backstory reminds readers that Dani’s mother died when Dani was of daycare age and that she occasionally goes to live with her grandparents when her father (who periodi¬cally “got sad”) isn’t up to caring for her. During one such interval, Dani and her grandma cook up a plan for Dani to travel by train, all by herself, to visit Ella in a neighboring town. Disaster strikes when, despite careful planning, there’s nobody to meet Dani at journey’s end, and, stranded in the railway waiting room, she encounters bullies who steal her cellphone. Intertwining with the main plot is a subplot involving her father’s ex-girlfriend, Sadie. All of this adds up to far more than the sum of its parts, with gentle humor and deep strains of resilience and kindness. Both writer and illustrator treat Dani with total respect throughout her distress and confusion. Adults are realistically flawed, and things don’t necessarily work out (although, after several honest conversations Dani has with both Dad and Sadie, there is some hope that they might), but all characters are portrayed with compassion and understanding. This series just gets better and better.

Grades 2-4
Independent Readers Plus
For Grades 2-4

Want even more? If 12 Independent books a year just aren't enough for your hungry readers, our I+ category has what you're looking for-providing 12 more titles at the very same reading level.

14 books per Year
$258.44 per Year
Interests
Chapter Books,Fiction,Reluctant Readers,Transitional Readers
Like this book?
Get more like this every month.
LEARN MORE
Grades 2-4
Independent Readers Plus
14 books per Year
$258.44 per Year

Other Recommended Titles From Independent Readers Plus

An American Story

by Kwame Alexander

Independent Readers Plus

February 2023

Independent Readers Plus

January 2023

Independent Readers Plus

December 2022

Independent Readers Plus

November 2022
Copyright © 2017 Magento, Inc. All rights reserved.