My Heart is Laughing by Rose Lagercrantz

Dani is lost when her best friend moves away.  I know just how she feels.  My very best friend was Jeanette and her parents couldn't afford tuition for a few years at St. Joe's.  I felt so lost without her.  She did get to come back, though!

Gecko Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published September 8th, so make plans to pick it up then.

This is a sweetly illustrated tale (by Eva Eriksson) of a young girl going back to school without her best friend.  She has no one to sit with or confide in, but she's trying to keep her heart happy.  It doesn't help that there are two girls who give her a bad time.  They like pushing her around and picking on her because she's quiet.  They don't anticipate her reaction when they've gone too far by pinching her.  When she gets angry and acts out, she gets sent home from school for bad behavior.

Her father is perplexed but when he finds bruises from the pinches and gets the story of out of her, he takes her back to school and visits the teacher and the principal!  Soon the issue is resolved and the right children are disciplined.  Even better, Dani's friend, Ella, comes back for a visit and her heart feels all better.  In fact, her heart is laughing...

My heart was laughing, too, when Jeanette came back to St. Joe's.  I wonder if this author ever had a similar experience in her life?

Happy reading.