Will Gmehling’s middle grade novel THE LIDO has been nominated for this year’s German Children’s Literature Award!
This is what the jury had to say:
“Every day in the outdoor pool! All summer long! The Bukowski siblings Katinka, Robbie and the first-person narrator Alf can hardly believe it. Just because they saved a small child from drowning in the indoor pool, they all get a season ticket. For free! It’s like Christmas and Easter together, because somehow there is never enough money at home. And so the siblings spend every day at the lido, regardless of wind and weather. They have all set themselves goals for the summer: Robbie wants to achieve the swimming badge in bronze, Katinka wants to learn French, also crawl 20 lanes in one go and Alf decides to jump from the ten-meter tower.
Superficially, not much happens in this warm-hearted children’s book. Between fries, ice cream and sunscreen, one day seems like the other. The distinctive feature of this story is the portrayal of the family: solidarity, mutual support and understanding are so much taken for granted that you want to be friends with the Bukowskis immediately. The fact that this is narrated without any pathos, without much fuss and nonetheless in an tantalizing manner is the great merit of this outstanding children’s novel.”
Click on the cover for further information, press reviews and a link to the English sample translation:
