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Feb 22, 2011

Suna rated it:

This is one of, if not the most cherished treasure of my childhood reading shelf and together with Ronja, The Robber's Daughter my all time favourite Astrid Lindgren book.
(I read all of these in excellent Dutch translations, so can't say much about English ones.)

Young Skorpan (or 'Crumb') is terminally ill, a scrawny, coughing, shy and nervous shrimp of a boy.
His older brother Jonatan is literally better, in that blue-eyed, flaxen haired, kind hearted way and the ladies More...

8 comments like (8 people liked it)

Feb 02, 2011

Ivan rated it:

Nice book though I guess many kids would feel rather strange after reading it... Knowing some things about death isn't the best way to spend time for them... yet, the story and plot are great!

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Oct 04, 2011

Riadiani rated it:

One of my favorite Astrid Lindgren books. The book is about a little boy named Karl and his older brother, Jonathan. Jonathan loves Karl very much, but one day he passed away. Soon Karl passed away too, and he arrived in a world called Nangijala, a beautiful world where everything is peaceful. Karl and Jonathan lived together again happily in Nangijala. But then darkness comes to the village. Jonathan and Karl set off to find the evil lord who threatens the peacefulness of Nangijala.

A More...

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Feb 10, 2011

Andrew rated it:

I really liked this book. I remember being little and reading just the first chapter or so of the book, and instantly falling in love with the peaceful, heartwarming tone of it- and the wonderful look on death. The paradise they begin at would easily have made this five stars alone. The book goes to a little more of a usual children's novel with dragons and evil lords, but was still wonderful to read. However, the way this was written, it seemed as if the author was saying that even though there More...

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Feb 06, 2011

Ethemx rated it:

Ich hatte mir dieses Buch vor ungefähr 6 Jahren, damals war ich 12 zur Gemüte genommen und angefangenzu lesen. Damals sprach mich das Buch in keinster Weise an. Schnell wurde mir das Buch langweilig und ich legte es weg. Jetzt vor kurzem habe ich wieder das Buch in meine Hand genommen und angefangen zu lesen. Ich muss sagen, dass es mich sehr überrascht hat. Ich zähle dieses Buch, obwohl sie zu der Abteilung Kinderbücher gehört als eines der spannensten Bücher ein die ich je gelesen habe. Doch More...

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Mar 24, 2010

Harun Harahap rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

9 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Jeff rated it:

This is a classic mythos book. It's my favorite book in the entire world. I first read this book in the third grade and kept reading it until I left that school. Then followed a period of ten years when I couldn't find the book as it had gone out of print. I finally found a copy and forced my long-suffering girlfriend to read it. And then forced my next girlfriend to read it. It's got an amazing premise for a children's book. And it's written by the Pipi Longstocking woman!

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 15, 2010

Marjet added it

Astrid Lindgren - Gebroeders Leeuwenhart

Dit boek wilde ik al jaren lezen, omdat het destijds in 1973 als tamelijk controversieel werd ontvangen. Het gaat over de dood, het hiernamaals, paradijs en hel beleeft door twee kinderen.
Als Jonathan Leeuwenhart zijn doodzieke broertje Kruimel (Karel) wil redden uit hun brandende huis gaat hij zelf dood. Jonathan heeft altijd gezegd dat Kruimel in Nangijala zal komen na zijn dood en dat Jonathan en alle fijne dingen daar ook zullen zijn. D More...

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Jan 20, 2012

Katharina rated it:

This book cause a lot of controversy, although most of it is fantasy in a medieval setting complete with a really bad guy and his dragon. What itched a lot of grown-ups, is that Astrid Lindgren touched on issues of death and dying in a way that hadn't been done in kidlit before her. I found that most kids I discussed this book with didn't have these issues. Kids are far more resilient than we give them credit for. Still, this book needs to be discussed.

It tells the story of two broth More...

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Jan 02, 2012

Jayaprakash rated it:

A strange if charming little book. It begins with the tragic deaths of two young brothers who are then reunited in the land of Ningiyama, where the world is still as it was in the age of sagas with many adventures to be had. However, the boys discover that not all adventures are worth having as they find themselves facing increasingly evil foes and long odds. The end of the story took me by surprise and I'm not sure what to make of it. Despite what a one-star review on this site claims, the endi More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Angelina rated it:

If you don't like this book you just don't understand anything....
Simply one of the best kid's books ever written. It treats very serious questions in a truly admirable way and gives hope at the same time. Pure, honest, brave and magical...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 28, 2010

Trisno rated it:

Sekalipun buku ini adalah buku untuk anak-anak, tapi ceritanya sangat bagus menurut saya, karena pada buku ini kita diberikan semangat dan keberanian untuk menghadapi musuh-musuh kita bahkan kematian.

Dan seperti Jonathan Hati Singa, yang sangat baik dan sangat melindungi adiknya Karl Hati Singa begitulah seharusnya rasa persaudaraan yang kita miliki terhadap orang-orang yang kita sayangi.

Kematian yang kita takuti juga bukanlah hal yang mengerikan karena setelah kematian masih More...

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Dec 31, 2011

Alette rated it:

I recently stumbled across the original hardback English edition of this book in a charity shop. I couldn't remember the story, but I could remember the feeling it had given me when I first read it as a child, so I bought it and took it with me on holiday. I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed. The book has stood the test of time. It is an unusual story for children, which is probably why it left such an impression on me as a child. I will not be spoiling it for you, by saying that mo More...

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Sep 13, 2009

Mitchy rated it:

โหย เล่มนี้ชอบมากเลย อ่านแล้ว "อิน" จนเหมือนเข้าไปร่วมผจญภัยกับสองพี่น้อง

Lindgren เป็นนักเขียนวรรณกรรมเยาวชนที่เยี่ยมจริงๆ! แนวผจญภัยก็เขียนได้ดี แนวชนบทสวีเดนก็เขียนน่ารัก
ยิ่งเข้าคู่กับ illustrator คนนั้น (จำชื่อไม่ได้...อีลอน วิคแลนด์ ป่าวนะ) ยิ่งสุดยอด More...

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Nov 27, 2010

einen Kuhnäljußd rated it:

Wohl das melancholischste und bewegendste Buch, was ich je als Kind gelesen habe.
Sollte man nicht verpasst haben.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 30, 2011

Änjä rated it:

Astrid-Lindgrenklassiker! Ein Kinderbuch, das ich auch 40 Jahre nach Erscheinungsdatum erst für ältere "Kinder" empfehlen würde. Die Stichworte zur Geschichte lauten: Traurigkeit, Mut, Spannung, Kühnheit, Hinterlistigkeit, Unterdrückung und Freundschaft. Picken wir uns die negativ assoziierten Eigenschaften heraus, können wir erahnen, wie es im Heckenrosental zugeht. Dieses von hohen Bergen umringte, böse Tal wird vom Tyrannen Tengil unterdrückt und all seiner Freiheiten beraubt. Man d More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Primadonna rated it:

Touching and enlightening. Somehow, I feel less afraid in embracing death after reading this story.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 30, 2008

A.C rated it:

This is one off my alltime favorite childrens book ever. The story is about 2 brothers who die in the first chapter. The eldest Johnatan dies when he rescued his little brother when their house is on fire. His little brother dies after a long illness and found himself in a medieval afterworld where Johnatan is waiting for him.
The place looks at first a real paradise but is in fact not. In a village nearby the people are suffering under the reign of a despote. Johnatan disapeared when he tr More...

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Aug 23, 2010

Abdollah2 rated it:

يادمه اين كتاب رو از كتابخونه مدرسه مون گرفتم. فوق العاده بود.داستان با مرگ دو تا برادر تازه شروع مي شد و توي اون سن اين قدر از خوندنش لذت مي بردم كه يادمه وقتي تموم شد يك بار ديگه از اول شروع كردم به خوندن! بهترين هديه مي تونه باشه براي يه بچه. متاسفانه من كم كتاب مي خونم و خودم رو در واقع از اين لذت محروم كردم. بايد به خودم بيام More...

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Oct 03, 2010

Carsten rated it:

A wonderful story of brotherly love and self-sacrifice, by swedish children-story-author Astrid Lindgren - it has all the elements of a fantasy, with a dark evil lord, a heroic people who stands against the dictator, a dragon, a dungeon, a traitor.

It can be disturbing for some children as the novel opens with the death of two boys - that end up in this heavenlike land Nangiyala. So there's a lot of questions the children might ask about heaven here!!!!

I'm not so sure abo More...

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Jan 26, 2011

Aleksandrina rated it:

That book is magnificent! It's worth reading!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2010

Amy rated it:

I must have taken this book out of the library about twenty times when I was a kid, and as an adult it still blows me away. Jonathan is the adored older brother to sickly Karl Lion, and comforts Karl with stories of all the adventures that he will have after he dies. Yes, it's a kid's book. But Jonathan dies first, saving Karl's life. And then Karl dies. And that's when the book really begins.

I prefer this English translation (and the wonderful illustrations by J. K. Lambert) to t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 05, 2012

Kirstine rated it:

Oh man, I am an absolute sucker for sibling relationships (have I mentioned this before? Maybe I have), if not, know now that I am.

So you might guess why this is (along with 'Mio, My Mio') my favourite Astrid Lindgren book. The relationship between Tvebak and Jonathan (the Danish names) is so unbelievably precious, and leaves me in tears, even now, despite it being a childrens book.
Having a brother myself, I understand the devotion you can have for a sibling, personally I wou More...

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Nov 20, 2011

Maryana rated it:

Character Development - 4/5
Themes - 2/5
Writing Style - 3/5
Plot - 2/5

The style and vocabulary were good, for a children's book and the relationship between the two brothers was certainly heart-wrenching. All in all 90% of the plot was great however the ending felt unsubtle and hastily contrived. It also illustrated questionable ideas concerning life and death. After defeating a dark and evil dragon, Jonathan reveals to his little brother that he had been injured in the ba More...

1 comment like

Oct 28, 2008

Halfempty rated it:

My best friend in the fourth grade, Dell Simpson, gave me this book and I still have his copy. Actually, I think he loaned it to me, so this goes to show that you should never loan me a book. Hear that, Multnomah County Library? Take away my card now! Also, Dell, if you're reading this, you can't have it back. It looks like I read it in the shower anyway, so you probably wouldn't want it now.

Anyway, it's a melodramatic tale of a young, very ill boy whose older brother tells hi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 30, 2008

C rated it:

This was one of my favorite books when I was young--I remember it was one of the books I checked out at the great old town library on my own. Around the same time I also got Island of the Blue Dolphins. Both of them rocked my world and really stayed with me, and I think maybe even shaped me at that age. I just started reading it with my kids. It is not for the faint of heart--it starts with the boy being afraid of his imminent death.

We just read it as a family. My kids loved it. I r More...

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Apr 09, 2008

Matthew rated it:

while this is technically a children's book by a children's author, the subjects are heavier than most adult novels: death, disease, loss, the afterlife, the right to react to violence with violence, family, and loyalty. everyone i spoke to about this book said the same thing: that the book illicited tears, whether out of sadness or joy or some combination of both. it is one of the most universally loved books in the author's home country of sweden: the extended version of the movie from 197 More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 31, 2012

AnnaLund rated it:

The book that made me who I am today.
The one that taught me to stand up for my friends.
The book that showed me that Somethings you just HAVE to do, or else you are not a real human being, just a little speck of dirt.
Of course, I read it in the original Swedish, but anyone who has half a mind of reading something truly healing should give this a go in English. It is well translated, and she IS, after all, the mother of Pippi Longstockings. I rest my case.
Jonatan, jag ser

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Sep 03, 2011

Iskreads rated it:

The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lingren will stay with you forever if you read it. After the prince-looking and brave Jonathan Lionheart tragically dies in a fire, he gets back together with his younger brother, Karl Lionheart who had been sick most of his ten years of life, up in heaven, or Nangiyala. There, the two brothers stay in a wonderful fantasy world full of happiness and celebrating in Cherry Valley. But when their dear neighbors, Wild Rose Valley gets conquered by the evil Tengil, th More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 28, 2011

Andrew rated it:

I got this book as present when I was about nine, ten or maybe eleven. Boys that age normally do not like reading and I was no different. This book was so captivating and beautiful that I just totally fell in love with it. The story is so extremely wonderfully constructed. It is adventure book, but still it is able to talk about pretty serious topics. I've read this book maybe three times and I've found something new.

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