When something seems too good to be true, well, then, unfortunately, it is usually there. There are as well no gratisluncher. Not even in children’s literature. When the solution to all the problems that twelve-year-old Chinese has (and she has, according to himself, a lot) suddenly and literally in her hand, the price is sky-high.
Siri Pettersen is finally back with a new book after his widely acclaimed and impressive debut, fantasytrilogin ”Korpringarna”. The ”bubble”, however, has a completely different appropriation and is targeted to a little younger readers. But just as really good books for children should and must be, she is stylistically good, and weaves skillfully in an absurd and very funny story where the laughter just as often get stuck in the throat.
who really hate their existence; her hysterical måsmamma and the father in his besvikelsedräkt (brilliant description!), the school with all their must-haves, mandatory school choir (despite the fact that she is tone-deaf), the hateful simträningen that once gave rise to her nickname of the Bubble, and first of all, the leader of the gang, the bully Jarle.
But everything changes one day when she finds a small glass ball that well at home, it grows to a large glass bubble that only she can enter, in addition, inhabited by a huge, scary rag doll. When she is in the bubble, she realizes soon that all her wishes can come true. So she ignores everything and everyone, choose bubble-the life of the place and the pulls. She wishes up pizza and sweets when she wants to, fly up into space and dive deep down in the sea, to cheat on tests in school and give back at the bullies with the help of superbubblan. She does all this and much more. But it has an awesome price when she realizes that she can no longer get out of the bubble and to the great ragdoll… yes, no more spoilers here.
”the Bubble” is a wonderful christmas carol in Dickens spirit, with unusually clear moralbudskap, although much more fun. Pettersen has a masterful ear and linguistic timing where humor and seriousness, always go closely together.
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