(2) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Eva Eriksson. As fresh, funny, and real as ever, this seventh volume of the series sees the two firm friends Dani and Ella separated by circumstance. First Dani is sick in hospital with pneumonia. Then she travels to Italy for her father's wedding. The cast is bigger here, as Dani meets the Italian side of her extended family, and the setting is wider, as she is dragged along to see the sights of Rome. (The Sistine Chapel is "old ceiling paintings.") The plot contains several suspenseful crises and one good surprise. But the heart of the story, and its appeal, remains in its emotional authenticity and in the subtle shifts in the girls' relationships with their families, schoolmates, and each other. The text's short chapters are filled with perfectly chosen details. The scratchy black-and-white drawings convey subtext in their composition. Dani's relatives bunch together on a picturesque bridge, energetically chatting away in Italian as she stands apart, gazing into the water. The pictures also add texture and depth to the settings--a hairy dog, a pile of scratchy branches, smooth cobblestones, the nubble of a knitted sweater. In this child-centered take on sightseeing, the Colosseum is sketched in a few lines; the window of a toy store, much more detailed. Once again, this Swedish author-illustrator duo demonstrates the rich potential of the early ­chapter book.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(1) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Eva Eriksson. Dani (My Happy Life and sequels) and her grandma plan for Dani to travel by train to visit her friend Ella. Disaster strikes when nobody meets Dani at journey's end. With gentle humor and strains of resilience and kindness, both writer and illustrator treat Dani with total respect throughout her distress. Adults are realistically flawed, and things don't necessarily work out, but all characters are portrayed with compassion and understanding.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Eva Eriksson. On her zoo class trip, Dani runs into Ella; overjoyed, the long-distance best friends go exploring together before being separated again. Although Dani acts upset that her father's girlfriend joins them for dinner that evening, she's really just worried that Ella is now sad. This continuing early-chapter-book series (My Happy Life, et al.) once again tenderly tackles real-kid problems, supported by the emotion-filled line drawings.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(2) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Eva Eriksson. Dani's dad remains in the hospital recovering from a bicycle accident. Now that he's out of the woods, though, she's having a great time vacationing with Ella's family. But then Dad arrives for a visit with, to Dani's horror, a nurse who turns out to be Dad's girlfriend. Scratchy line drawings support the story's emotional arc. This excellent series (My Happy Life and sequels) shows no signs of losing steam.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(2) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Eva Eriksson. Positive thinker Dani (My Happy Life; My Heart Is Laughing) has her capacity for joy tested when her father is injured in a bicycle accident and ends up unconscious in the hospital. The genius of these books lies in the simple but original kid details; nuanced line drawings add microplots. An affecting early chapter book with a hopeful--if not yet altogether happy--ending.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(1) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Eva Eriksson. First grader Dani (My Happy Life) is still sad about best friend Ella moving away, but she's a sturdy kid. Then things get sticky at school: classmates Mickey and Vicky both like the same boy, but he likes Dani. Lagercrantz's text is funny and real; Eriksson's line drawings brilliantly portray expressions and body language. Salty and sweet, this is umami for the emerging reader.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(2) 1-3 Translated by Julia Marshall. Illustrated by Eva Eriksson. Twenty very short, generously illustrated chapters take the essential matter of the primary-school years and recast it in a fresh, sweet light. The book's open layout, with its plentiful white space, welcomes the new reader, as does the prose style. Heroine Dani is individual without being quirky. Eriksson's line drawings are full of personality and emotion.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013