New Children's books
Between Heaven and Earth
New children’s books tell some crazy and comical stories, others are populated with dangerous gangsters, ghosts and AI.
Bosco Rübe rast durchs Jahr (Bosco Rübe Races through the Year) by Dita Zipfel and Finn-Ole Heinrich is the story of a little boy’s daily life told in scenes from the Rübe family in the city of Berlin and from his day care centre. Bosco is an unusually creative three-year-old but his parents can handle it. In this comical and crazy read-aloud book, illustrator Tine Schulz’s colourful drawings vivaciously underline each of the scenes. In the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Christine Knödler concludes that this children’s book is also enchanting for adults due to its play with words. For example, Blätterkrokant (nut brittle) becomes Kletterbrokant, a word that “comprises the preciousness of brocade, the deliciousness of brittle, the magic of storytelling and the enchantment of books like this one.”
God, the dictator
In Gangster müssen clever sein. Ein Krimi mit echter Milliardärstochter (Gangsters Need Cunning: A Thriller with a Real Billionaire’s Daughter), the new children’s book by Kirsten Boie, Jamie-Lee and Valentin take turns telling the story of how they and their friends Mesut and Fee solve the break-in at Fee’s house. As always with Kirsten Boie, the story is suspenseful, peppered with good portrayals of children and realistic everyday life. According to Kirsten Kumschlies of kinderundjugendmedien.de, Boie has succeeded in creating another “children’s literary masterpiece” noting that “She still manages to observe and mirror modern-day childhood – when she employs clichés and stereotypes, it only serves the exuberant comedy that carries the plot.”
Artificial intelligence and ghosts
Jessy witnessed the internet simply shutting down in a big crash. Now everyone is allotted a fixed, strictly guarded quota of online time in this high-tech world. Life is determined by electrical household appliances programmed to control everything and report to their manufacturing companies. When Jessy is given an android as a present for her 11th birthday, which, at her mother’s request, always accompanies and watches her everywhere, it soon becomes her companion. Contrary to its programming, the android develops human feelings putting it is in great danger of being switched off. Arti – Auf Freundschaft programmiert (Arti – Programmed for Friendship) by Tobias Elsässer is a cleverly told and exciting story about the possibilities of artificial intelligence.His family – father, mother, dog and cranky grandfather – are amiable ghosts. But Robert is a human who was taken in by them as a baby. The clash with real school life and the daily life of the fantasy family brings about a lot of funny situations, but also the risks that the ghost family will be discovered. The social worker is already observing who and what these parents are. Fortunately, Robert’s new schoolmate is an expert in computer technology and thus a great help. Ruth Rahlff’s book SpooKI. Den Geist aufgeben gibt’s nicht (SpooKI: No Giving Up the Ghost) is an unusually funny and exciting ghost story that also deals with artificial intelligence, as the title suggests. “It’s even a draw for boys who hate reading,” writes Lena Bodewein at NDR.
Kirsten Boie: Gangster müssen clever sein. Ein Krimi mit echter Milliardärstochter
Hamburg: Oetinger 2022. 316 p.
ISBN: 978-3-7512-0003-5 (from 9 years)
You can find this title in our eLibrary Onleihe.
Tobias Elsässer: Arti – Auf Freundschaft programmiert
München: Hanser 2022. 266 p.
ISBN: 978-3-446-27425-9 (from 9 years)
Micha Lewinsky: Holly im Himmel
Zürich: Diogenes 2022. 269 p.
ISBN: 978-3-257-01306- 1 (from 10 years)
You can find this title in our eLibrary Onleihe.
Ruth Rahlff / Timo Grubing (Ill.): SpooKI. Den Geist aufgeben gibt`s nicht
Carlsen 2022. 315 p.
ISBN: 978-3-551-65521-9 (from 9 years)
Dita Zipfel & Finn-Ole Heinrich / Tine Schulz (Ill.): Bosco Rübe rast durchs Jahr
Hamburg: Huckepack im mairisch Verlag, 2022. 78 S.
ISBN: 978-3-948722-21-0 (to read aloud for all from 3 years)
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