My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - Fredrik Backman

In February, I read and fell in love with Fredrik Backman's book, A Man Called Ove. It was one of those extremely heart warming books that made you laugh, cry, and feel.

So when I found out there was another book by the same author, I had to go for it.

Elsa is an incredible 7-year old. I call her incredible. The school and everyone else calls her different. Her best, and only friend is her 77-year old grandmother. Her grandmother is a no-nonsense, tough as nails, don't-you-dare-hurt-my-granddaughter kind of woman. She helps Elsa cope with being different by taking her to the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everyone is different and no one is normal.

But then, Elsa's grandmother dies. She leaves behind a letter for Elsa to deliver, and let's her know it's part of a treasure hunt. What ensues is Elsa learning about those around her. She learns about herself and her grandmother. She meets wonderful, incredible people. Some she likes, some she does not.

Ethan has just finished reading the Land of Stories series, and has returned to Harry Potter. I mention this, because the fairy tales Elsa and her grandmother share are lovely. And Elsa is obsessed with Harry Potter. She even judges people who have never read Harry Potter. "There are no photos here, as there were in the woman's flat. Only books. "You got any good ones, then?" she asks, scanning the shelves. "I don't know what you think is good," the woman answers carefully. "Do you have any Harry Potters?" "No." "Not even one?" Elsa asks, incredulous. "No." "You have all these books and not a single Harry Potter? And they let you fix people whose heads are broken?"

".....Elsa had grown conscious of the fact that the girl hadn't read Harry Potter at all. She knew who he was, of course, everyone knows who Harry Potter is, but she hadn't read the books....And while Elsa didn't want to be elitist or anything, how could one be expected to reason with a person like that? Muggles."