When Mischief Came to Town

When Mischief Came to Town
Katrina Nannestad

My rating: ★★★★½

ISBN: 978-0544534322
Publisher: HMH Books
Date of publication: January 5, 2016
Age: Grades 3 - 6
Genre: Historical Fiction

Themes: family relationships, grief, change, choices & consequences, humor, love,

When 10-year-old Inge Maria arrives on the tiny island of Bornholm in Denmark to live with her grandmother, she's not sure what to expect. Her grandmother is stern, the people on the island are strange, and children are supposed to be seen and not heard. But no matter how hard Inge tries to be good, mischief has a way of finding her. Could it be that a bit of mischief is exactly what Grandmother and the people of Bornholm need?

Completely and utterly adorable. Perhaps too much so. This may sound strange, but I didn't give it the five stars because it was almost too cute. Things work out a little too easily for Inge. It's very much like watching Pollyanna. Very much so. With some Anne of Green Gables and Pippi Longstocking thrown in, like the publisher advertises. But even with the heavy dose of saccharinity, the pain and grief that Inge experiences does help temper it. She does struggle with the loss of her mother, and it provides the needed depth. I loved the moments where she felt the urge to cry--everything is changing, people are mean, she feels alone--and would coach herself out of it, choosing to be positive instead. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to all the Pollyanna lovers out there. (Yes, I am one of them.)

Find it at your library or on Amazon