A review by kiwikathleen
The Runaways by Ulf Stark

4.0

This is a lovely little story about a boy and his grandfather, and I can totally understand why the boy would collude with his grandfather and take him back to his home for one night. My own father is currently in hospital, and now each time I visit he asks if I've come to take him home. The short answer to that is "No, not today." The long answer is that he broke his hip (now has a replacement part in it) and must be able to get around independently before they'll allow him back home with Mum. And that is taking a long time because he forgets to do the exercises the physio has given him and forgets that he broke his hip and gets so he can't be bothered doing anything.

The grandfather in this book has a different scenario. His heart isn't going to keep him going much longer, but he hates it in the rest home. There are some very funny bits where he swears dreadfully (no, not written down - this is a children's book!). And there are some lovely/sad bits where he misses his wife terribly and wonders if he'll ever see her again - does heaven even exist? he wonders.

The only thing I didn't love about this book is the illustrations (which I strongly dislike). Well, we all have different tastes and there are plenty of children's books where I don't like the style of the illustrations, so that's no big deal.