My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

I loved this book. I laughed and I cried. I will admit, I had a hard time at the beginning. I just couldn't understand the odd names of the kingdoms and other things. But once it started coming together, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I wish the author had started explaining the odd names earlier in the book. I think he would have received higher rating. I read other reviews and this seemed to the main complaint.

This book is one I will be sharing with everyone. My 15-year old granddaughter already started and she was hooked by page one.

I tried reading this shortly after it was released, but my grandmother had just passed away it the subject matter was just too much for me at the time. Picking it up again this time, it was still sad, but I was able to get through the sadness to the meat of the story. I love Elsa. She was everything you want your main character to be. Courageous, but vulnerable. Smart and sassy....so, so smart. Loving and kind with the bit of bratty-ness thrown in to remind you that she is a 9 year old.

I just wanted the world to stop hurting her.

But what a rich and colorful story. The hunt for the greatest treasure Elsa could ask for....it was so much. I just wanted to crawl into bed and sob for awhile ;)

What a disappointment after the brilliant “A Man Called Ove.”

1.5 stars for a nice premise and Grandmother. But, Elsa is far too precocious and not at all believable as a 17-year old. I'll have to try “Britt-Marie Was Here.”

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader, which normally features better writing than this.
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If you don't like people, they can't hurt you. Almost-8-year-olds who are often described as “different” learn that very quickly.

really

She used to write letters to Santa every Christmas, not just wish lists but whole letters. They weren't very much about Christmas, mainly about politics. Because Elsa mostly felt that Santa wasn't involving himself enough in social questions, and believed he needed to be informed about that, in the midst of the floods of greedy letters that she knew he must be receiving from all the other children every year. Someone had to take a bit of responsibility.

This was a beautifully written story. I felt the full range of emotions, from love, to fear, to sadness, and then desperation. I realized that everyone really truly has superpowers, and I believe mine is empathy. The only reason I gave this story 4 stars is because it made me feel too deeply, moments physically hurt reading them. It made me miss my own grandmother, and my childhood, but also made me appreciate my own children, their voices and the stories we have yet to learn about those that most impact our lives.

Please read this book. The story of the Land of Almost Awake is worthy of telling in it's own right, and left me feeling pure jealousy at the creativity it took for this author to bring it to life.