Dani thinks of herself as someone “who’s always happy.” But she isn’t this particular day, because she misses her best friend, Ella, who moved away, and two girls in her class, Vicky and Mickey, are being horrible to her. When Dani angrily throws food at them after they pinch her during lunch, it lands on her teacher by mistake. The teacher doesn’t know about the pinching and thinks Dani was misbehaving. Dani ends up running home in tears. Her dad is at first upset with Dani, but when he finds out what happened he drives her back to school, tells the teacher what was going on, and justice is served as Vicky and Mickey must apologize — a deeply satisfying moment for Dani and readers alike. A few elements of this child-centered book translated from the Swedish feel foreign, but the feelings are universal and spot on. Despite the kids who are picking on Dani, there is a brightness and lightness to the storytelling, with the girls’ mean behavior treated as a unique incident — it happens, it’s dealt with, and Dani is ready to move on. (Ages 7–9)

Dani and Ella are together again, joined by their classmates, some like Cushion are nice, and others, Mickey and Vickey are not so nice. Along for the adventure are numerous pets, hamsters Snow and Flake, who readers were introduced to in the first book about these two best friends. Ella has recently moved to a new town and Dani is struggling with the loss of her closest friend. When Cushion chooses Dani over Mickey and Vickey they bully Dani by pinching her repeatedly until she is so upset she acts totally out of character. When Dani's Dad learns what has happened he angrily heads straight to school. While Dani's Dad is addressing the harm Dani has suffered Ella appears and helps Dani remember all the great things they have to be happy about.

2015 USBBY Outstanding International Books List.

Author lives in Sweden.

Swedish. Originally published in Sweden as Mitt hjarta hoppar och skrattar by Bonnier Carlson in 2012. English translation by Julia Marshall published in the United States by Gecko Press (New Zealand) in 2014.

Dani's been trying her best to stay happy ever since her best friend Ella moved away. But when some girls in Dani's class start being cruel to her, it starts a chain of rather unhappy events . . . It would all be okay if only Ella would move back. From the author of the critically acclaimed My Happy Life.