Nils Non Grata
Nils non grata
Nils is starting on a new school – again. Every time his freelance-working mother gets a new job, they move. This happens so often that Nils remains an outsider who barely has time to grasp the social arena the schoolyard is before they move on to a new place and a new school.
This time Nils is determined to become popular. Because he has moved so often, he’s clever in telling fanciful stories which is slightly careless about the truth to get attention. He knows in theory how to become popular, though he never has had much success. He also knows that it’s important who you make friends with, and he can easily tell who is popular and who is not. Nils befriends Bruno, who is not one of the popular boys. Bruno is too nice, he’s sensitive and in love. Nils and Bruno make a pact and things get out of hand and it goes too far. When Nils is caught lying and accidentally gets into trouble and the whole class is collective punished, Nils becomes the opposite of popular: He becomes Nils non grata*.
Nils Non Grata is a humorous and charming book about new neighbors and new classmates, about water balloons, toilet rolls and democracy. About strange families, friendship and maybe even love.
*Non grata: The opposite of popular
‘The book screams for a follow-up. Note the names Nils and Bruno. I predict that they will become a great literary team. […] School can be a jungle, where the survival of the strongest rules. That’s why it’s nice to read books like Iben Akerlie’s, which bring so much humor and not least thoughtfulness from an exceptionally generous teacher.’
NRK, 5/6 stars
‘Hits the mark on the modern fantasy of childhood.’
Aftenposten
