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Winner of the prestigious Swedish August Prize 2020, The Secrets of Cricket Karlsson by Kristina Sigunsdotter is a bright, contemporary and fearless novel about an ordinary extraordinary eleven-year-old trying to win back her best friend and get her mother to stop sighing.

Cricket Karlsson is going to become an artist just like her aunt, who loves cheese and art and always speaks her mind. Not like Cricket’s mother, who is dieting and sighs at everything. But now Aunt Frannie has lost her joy and Cricket’s best friend has dumped her for the horse girls.

Eleven-year-old Cricket Karlsson is a warm and complex character with an artistic soul. Written as a diary, tween readers will fall in love with Cricket’s tough yet charming voice as she shares her secret thoughts about her best friend break-up, her Aunt’s breakdown and experimental chewing gum sculptures. Punkish and surprising comic-style illustrations perfectly compliment this coming-of-age story.

This is a liberating and unexpected story about growing up, fitting in, and sorting out the adults in our lives that will reach the hearts of young readers (and older ones).

Written by Kristina Sigunsdotter, a Swedish writer, artist and playwright and illustrated by Ester Eriksson, an artist and cartoonist from the Netherlands.

“Sigunsdotter’s honest voice and Eriksson’s sophisticated and generously distributed art come together to honour the passion of (young female) friendships, and the pain that accompanies their dissolution.”

The New York Times

Take a look at our Young Reader Abby’s review of  The Secrets of Cricket Karlsson below

Families were provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

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