Håkon Øvreås

Rusty, whose grandfather dies at the very beginning of Håkon Øvreås' story, must contend with this loss, and must face three older bullies in this children's novel, translated from the Norwegian. Although calm on the surface - when his father tells him that Grandpa has died, his reply is a simple "Okay," with no further comment - it is clear that there is much going on underneath the surface for Rusty, who begins to encounter the ghost of his grandfather, when he is out late at night. Assuming the role of a superhero - the eponymous 'Brown,' who wears a brown cape and mask, and who paints one of the bullies' bikes brown - Rusty connects with two other children, Jack and Lou (Louise), who also form superhero alter egos, and join Brown on his crusade against the three older boys. In the end, both story lines - that of the loss of a grandparent, and that of confronting older bullies - have been addressed, and Rusty is able to move on with some peace of mind...

Originally published in Norway as Brune, this short middle-grade novel is the first of a trilogy - the second two, Svartle and Blåse, have yet to be translated into English - and won the Batchelder Award, given annually by the American Library Association for the best children's book translated from another language. I found the story poignant, all the more so given the understatement and restraint shown by Øvreås in telling the tale, and I found the superheroes' turning of the tables on the bullies amusing. The adult in me worried that Rusty was making his situation worse and worse, by not confiding in his parents, but the part of me still connected to my child self understood that this was true to life. Not only is Rusty aware that his parents, especially his mother, are going through a hard time, which might make him reluctant to speak, but he himself is attempting to grapple with his own loss. I also thought the depiction of religion here was quite interesting. My understanding is that Norway is generally quite secular, and that most people interact with their church only for major events - holidays, baptisms, weddings, and funerals - so I was surprised that some of the characters here were more involved - one parent attends Bible study sessions, one grandparent is described as quite religious. On the whole, the depiction ranges from neutral to negative, and the minister himself is a fairly unsympathetic character, more concerned with the bike painting, than with the fact that Rusty has just lost his grandfather. While I have no doubt that this reflects some people's realities, as the daughter of a minister - a gentle man who genuinely loved others, a man to whom people would bring their troubles and sorrow - this made me rather sad. I felt sad for the characters, that they did not have a spiritual leader suited to their needs. That is a very individual reaction of course, and no doubt influenced by my own life circumstances. I doubt most child readers would feel that way, although they certainly might identify with the idea of adult authority figures in general remaining blind to their needs.

Leaving these issues aside, I would recommend this engaging, poignant and somewhat quirky book to middle-grade readers who enjoy stories of contemporary children dealing with some of life's tough challenges with humor and imagination. The accompanying artwork from Øyvind Torseter has a quirky sensibility well-suited to Øvreås' text, and will increase the young reader's pleasure in the book. For my part, I hope that the subsequent two volumes in the series are also translated.… (mais)