A lovely short book about a boy's relationship with his sick grandpa. Really loved it right up until the end when it asserts a pretty aggressively Christian worldview.

I'm not sure if children will gravitate towards these colored pencil drawings or not, but the story really tugs at the heart.

The Runaways by Ulf Stark and illustrated by Kitty Crowther is the heartfelt and beautiful story of the unbreakable bond between a grandfather and his young grandson. Confined to a hospital while in the final stages of his life, Grandpa expresses his desire to travel to his marital home one final time, a place that is filled with memories of his dearly departed wife. His grandson 'Gottfried Junior ' acts as his co-conspirator, and the pair hatch a plan to escape from the hospital to undertake one final adventure together.

This is a wonderfully illustrated story that not only illuminates the special bond that grandparents and grandchildren share, but also explores universal themes such as trust and loss. This is a truly special book that I would not hesitate to recommend.

Many thanks to Myrick Marketing & Media LLC, and Gecko Press for this ARC.

A bittersweet story about a cantankerous grandpa and the bond he shares with his grandson, a boy who will stop at nothing to make sure his grandpa is ready when his time comes.

The reverence and peace of death aren’t especially easy to capture, but both are achieved in this poignant book. Ulf Stark’s story allows readers to walk alongside death, to make peace with the before, to prepare for the after, and to be ready for the inevitable grasp of death’s hand.

Grandpa Gottfried is a frustrated old man, confined to a hospital room after breaking his leg a second time. Gottfried’s son is a tall, thin, studious stick-in-the-mud sort of man who dreads visiting his loud, round and red-faced, curse-spouting father. In his grandson though, Gottfried has found a kindred spirit, an adventuresome and clever boy he calls Gottfried Junior, though Gottfried is the boy’s middle name.

Gottfried Junior thoroughly enjoys the company of his unmannerly grandfather and invents ways to spend time with him, including an excursion of a most unbelievable sort—one that his parents don’t accept, even after he spills all the details—a temporary escape from the hospital to visit the archipelago that was Gottfried and his late wife’s home. Junior weaves together a series of lies and enlists the help of an equally sneaky and like-able town baker.

This quick-paced, never-a-dull-moment middle-grade chapter book hits on a variety of topics: lying, and whether a lie can be good; family, and the differences and similarities that can bring together or drive apart its members; kindness, and the importance of saying the things that need to be said before it’s too late; and death, whether it’s ever too late to change.

(I read this first on my Kindle and Kitty Crowther’s illustrations are an undeniable asset. Opening the book in Adobe Digital Editions revealed that the illustrations were in color, bringing to life Grandpa’s red ire and illuminating the likeness of Grandma’s memory. The color brightens the story, but something in me made the black and white feel appropriately bittersweet.)


Thanks to Myrick Marketing & Media, Gecko Press, and NetGalley for the provided ebook and the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest, unbiased, and voluntary. #NetGalley #TheRunaways

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This story is about Adam and his grandfather, who lives in a retirement home. His grandfather hates living in the retirement home and Adam's dad is unwilling to deal with his father's deterioration. Adam likes to visit his grandfather and doesn't mind his cranky and disagreeable ways. One day when Adam visits, they hatch a plan to go and stay overnight at the primitive cabin where the family used to summer. It's far and it involves an overnight stay. But Adam thinks of everything and Grandpa is grateful. I think this one will raise a lot of questions about how we deal with the elderly and how you deal with impending death. It reminded me of a younger version of "A Man Called Ove".

A beloved grandfather and his grandson have a last adventure together in this book about dying and death. I'd guess 4th grade up could handle it. Anyway, it's a poignant story of a hospitalized grandfather and his grandson running away and going back to his grandfather's home one last time. The grandfather sorely misses his wife who has passed on some time before. No one believes the boy when he tells them of the adventure, but his grandfather grows closer because of the adventure. It's an uplifting tale, but a bit sad. Still, I loved the grandfather! Feisty old guys are just soooo entertaining! And he's just full of searing (Not in boo!) and roaring his outrage! Love it!

Sometimes children connect to their grandparents in ways they don't connect with their parents. The Run-aways by Ulf Stark is a charming tale of a boy and his devotion and love for his grandfather.

Grandfather lives in home and he and his grandson plot an "escape." Well, more of a brief getaway. Children will enjoy the planning and plotting and wondering if they can pull it off without being detected. And where does Grandpa even want to go?

Children will delight in the mystery and adventure of a boy and his grandfather. What a beautiful glimpse into one man's life and the surprising ways two generations connect and look out for one another. Everyone needs a friend like that!

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of The Run-Aways from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

This is a lovely short story about a boy and his grandfather. It includes some sad themes but I found that I didn't feel sad at all, either during or after finishing the book. It is told in a simple way with beautiful, bright illustrations that are as important as the text and contrast and support the story really nicely. This will be an excellent addition to the school library, especially for helping children who are experiencing some of the issues it addresses.

This story is a great read for young people trying to deal with grief or loss. The story was simple, but this added to the character development throughout. There were heart-warming conversations between the boy and his grumpy grandfather, especially when talking about the boy’s grandmother, who had passed away. The language was a little ‘clunky’ but I understand this is a translation. The formatting of the book also needed work, but this did not impact my overall rating. Some very tender moments, complimented by beautiful illustrations.

The first thing to note is that this is a translation. The English feels fairly natural, line to line, but it still has a decidedly foreign feel. The intended audience is clearly relatively young but I'm not sure the message will land with American youngsters.

This sweet tale of a boy and his grandfather is well written and the illustrations are a delight. While a little too sad for me, this story opens doors to talk about grief and loss with young kids.

This is an odd little book about how three generations deal with growing old. The boy, Gottfried Jr. likes his grandfather no matter if he swears and is grumpy or not. That is the way he has always known him, and that is what he is familiar with. His father, on the other hand, can't deal with his father swearing, and with him getting old and dying. He would rather ignore the problem completely.

So, the boy and his grandfather devise an elaborate plan to run away, just for the weekend. And the only clue that this is happening in Sweden is they run away to a country home in the archipelago.

There are some sweet moments, despite the grumpy grandfather, such as when Adam, not his real name, helps drive the get away van. I also enjoyed how the grandfather talked about creating jam, that when the grandmother created the jam, she put a little bit of herself in it.

It is both sad, and sweet, both cute, and cleaver. The family is real, especially the boy and his grandfather, and the story is totally plausible, though the parents are a bit clueless, as parents are in this sort of situation.

I would recommend this book as a great one for reading any time, but also as a way to talk about death and dying.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Bittersweet ~ Age-Appropriate ~ Gentle

tl:dr: Little boy deals with his grandfather's terminal illness.

This book is very sweet. It would be an ideal book for a young child faced with terminal illness. The text, in translation from Swedish, is strong. I knew it was a translation not because of the text, bravo translator, but because of the illustrations. They are really beautiful colored-pencil illustrations. But, the aesthetic of the rooms depicted, and the imaginary archipelago vacation spot, scream Scandinavia. Overall, a lovely little book, particularly as a read-along for famiilies dealing with loss.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.