“The time of contemplating the riddles of the universe and the human mind is over, and now all that counts is to save what remains. The question is, what must be done? Anna and the others are the pegs on which Gaarder hangs his answers. Again: can this sort of thing produce good literature? My answer is yes …There are countless reports on what is in the process of happening. The difference between these reports and the novel about Anna is that the novel transports us there, into the future, and confronts us with a 16-year old who has every right to be angry with us. It is a hard lesson that both Anna and the reader learn in the course of this journey through time. The author has drawn a concrete picture of the world and how life might look here in 70 years’ time, if we continue in this way. It is this picture which sticks with us. This novel does not present a dystopia, but a prognosis.”
NRK Litteratur, Marta Norheim

“A very important book…Jostein Gaarder writes about the big questions in life, and in this year’s novel he brings up possibly the biggest issue: how can we prevent the earth from being destroyed? […] Gaarder reveals his sharp social criticism in this story. He pokes fun, subtly and mercilessly, at the climate quote system […] Gaarder has a solution to how we should save the environment. And he lets a pupil present this. The solution seems believable because it takes into consideration inherent human weakness, our tendency towards gossip, competition and game-playing […] Gaarder does not mention global political efforts as a possibility, and that would indeed not fit into the fable. His solution must therefore be read as a provocation: So, you don’t think this will make any difference, see if you can think of a better solution. If this is the way the novel works, then it’s really good!”
Barnebokkritikk, Jostein A. Ryen

“Some might think the novel is naive. It isn’t. Unfortunately it paints a quite realistic picture of what might happen to our planet if we do not succeed in limiting the emissions of environmentally harmful gasses into the atmosphere. It may not happen as quickly as it does in the novel, and perhaps the changes will not end up being as described, but the story brings to life and makes concrete the nightmare which may ensue if the worst possible climate changes kick in fully. […] It is pedagogical; everyone who reads it will learn something from it – both those who don’t know much about the subject yet, but also those who know the field well will derive pleasure from it, and gain a new sense of perspective in a fresh way. At the same time it is a novel which will open the heart of the reader – if one allows it to. One grows fond of Anna and Nova, one fears for their futures, and one’s conviction to strive for a better environment is strengthened. I recommend everyone to read it.”
Ellen Hambro’s blog (Director General of the Norwegian Environment Agency)

“As a reader I grow strongly involved with what the novel Anna is about: the destruction of life on our planet, and whether or not we can succeed in changing our course towards catastrophe. The slumbering environmental moralist in me awakens, and I feel the same rage which the two 16-year-olds in the novel express. […] the politically engaged, knowledgeable girls stand in sharp contrast to the polished bloggers who strive to perfect their appearances without a thought for the world we share. There is a strong political and intellectual emphasis in this novel.”
Aftenposten, Mette Hofsødegård