Some people are born with good ball control; others are great at making new friends. Nina was born smart – and she’s not afraid to say it. Compared to most people, she’s something of a genius, and she knows it. In fact, she’s got a notebook (a secret one, of course) carefully filled with notes about the people around her: their strengths (are there even any?) and their weaknesses (oh, so many).

It’s not easy being the smartest one in your family. Or in your class. Especially when you have to work side by side with people who pick their nose and who think that Africa is a country. And that soccer is important.

But then Isolde shows up. Kind, fun, and – brace yourself – possibly just as smart as Nina. This causes a crisis that turns Nina’s world upside down. Because if she isn’t the best in the class, then who is she? It can’t possibly be true what people say: that life isn’t about being the best at everything?

Best at Everything (and Then Some) is a fun, sharp and spot-on story about being eleven years old and brilliant – or at least thinking you are.

Cina Friedner’s The Worst Thing That Could Happen is Everything has been shortlisted for this year’s Children’s Novel Prize in Karlstad. Sixth-grade students in Karlstad will read and work with the nominated books during the upcoming semester, after which they will vote for their favorite.

In December, more than 800 students from 17 different schools will choose the best book.

Hurricanes.
Car crashes.
Nuclear wars.
Fires.

So many horrible things can potentially happen, and Belle wants to be prepared for anything. That is why she has started to build a secret prepping storage in the basement. She gathers canned goods, toilet paper, and big bottles of water. It feels safe, in the basement she has control over things. No one in her family can know about it, the only one who does is her best friend Saga. But when her class is going on a camping trip, nothing can calm Belle down. So many horrible things can happen out there in the wilderness! The only thing she can do is bow down and await the disaster. Or has it already happened?

Cina Friedner’s The Worst Thing That Could Happen is Everything is a story filled with humor, friendship, and grief that makes you both laugh out loud and ugly cry. A story about everyday life as a middle grader, but also about how to get back on your feet when life has been shattered into a million pieces.

The news hits like a bomb: Ivan and Lydia are dating! Nisse can barely believe it, even though he knows that they have liked each other for ages. And now they are together, for real! It feels strange, and when Wasim returns from his vacation with the news that he too has met a girl, the ground beneath Nisse’s feet suddenly feels shaky. Shit! In just a couple of days they will start sixth grade and he is the only one not dating someone. What is he supposed to do?

In the third and final installment about your favorite middle schoolers, the boys have the floor. It is the story about the final week of summer break before sixth grade told from two perspectives, everything that happens, everything that doesn’t, and everything that perhaps should happen. Humor, seriousness, and recognition aplenty!

Just Be Chill is a stand-alone sequel to Cina Friedner’s beloved Never Back Down and Not Entirely True.