“A very good children’s book. It is the best book by Akerlie I have read. She is an ambitious author that hits the young readers straight in their hearts.”
Anne Cathrine Straume, NRK

“Iben Akerlie has an indisputable talent for storytelling.”
Silje Bekeng-Flemmen, Klassekampen

“Akerlie’s books are warmly humanistic […] Everyone in her universe deserves to be seen – even though they can be difficult to spot. Her books are a demonstration of the distinction between sympathy and empathy.”
Guri Fjeldberg, Aftenposten

“Book of the Month” at the “Deutsche Akademie für Kinder- und Jugendliteratur” (Germany)
From the jury motivation: The lightness of summer hovers over the complex themes of the novel, as Akerlie not only tells of sunshine, falling in love and small adventures, but also of racism and the issue of taking action. This constellation shows how impressively she combines both and gets readers to think. A summer novel with a big impact!

Selected title by White Raven 2023

By the author of the  award-winning and bestselling middle grade novel Lol Lars, published in 15 territories.

Nora is dreading the summer holidays, which she’ll be spending in a small town with her grandmother, whom she doesn’t really know. But what happens, is better than Nora could have imagined. She meets Abbas, with the greenest eyes she has ever seen. But why is Abbas scared of the shopkeeper, and why is there one set of rules for Nora, and a different set for Abbas?

The Summer Everything Happened is a story about a fateful meeting, a friendship, the difficulty of standing up to injustice, and finally finding the courage to do so.