Rundberg, Johan. 2023. THE NIGHT RAVEN.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Rundberg, Johan. 2023. THE NIGHT RAVEN. New York NY. Amazon Crossing Kids. ISBN 9781662509582. 

PLOT SUMMARY 

Stockholm, Sweden, is home to a young orphan girl named Mika. She along with other children who live in the Public Children’s Home have been battling the deadly winter with limited necessities and are forced to become resourceful with their food in order to continue nourishing the children. Mika, one of the oldest children there has lost hope in being adopted but finds her purpose when she becomes a part of solving the mystery of The Night Raven. Her attention to detail along with her problem-solving skills helps guide Valdemar Hoff, the detective who looks to her for help. Together, they hunt down the killer who has been taking out his revenge on innocent people in retaliation for death of his sister many years ago.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

The winter of 1880 at the Children’s Public Home, in Stockholm, Sweden was a time of scarcity and resourcefulness. The diluted milk and the rationed bread for the little mouths waiting to be fed was a reality they could not shake off during the wintertime. They longed for warmer weather and feared each night would freeze over. There is a balance of good and evil characters. Mika and Hoff work together to catch the “Dark Angel.” Amelia does everything in her power to protect the children of the orphanage. The children of the orphanage have their own story of arrival and the family dynamic of older children helping the younger ones is a great emotional attribute to this story. 

The setting of the run-down, low socio-economic environment of the orphanage is consistent with the historical times of 1880. Children were also taken into foster care for forced labor and Mika worked at a bar as a 12-year-old girl. These are examples of how different life was in these times. The story is not rich in cultural details, but there is mention of street names representative of the area such as Skeppsbron Bridge, Lilla Munklagersgatan, Gamla kungsbron. The gender roles are present as we see Rufus a young boy at the orphanage as the male in charge of keeping the fires lit to keep the orphanage warm and Mika working at a bar putting up with inebriated male clientele with little respect for working children, to make some money. We also see a relationship between Mika and Hoff become close as they are solving the case of the “Dark Angel” and as they grow close, he looks out for her and even invites her over for dinner.  

The Night Raven, was a great read and did allow for reflection and analysis given the historical time. The period of the 1880’s allowed for analysis of the way of being in an orphanage and the setting of a cold winter with scarcity in every corner made this historical fiction story more intriguing. The fight to survive as well as the mystery of solving the “Dark Angel” murder case are strong portrayals of the culture of this fictional story. 

REVIEWS AND AWARDS 

Booklist, 05/01/23 

Horn Book Magazine starred, 09/01/23 

Kirkus Reviews, 06/01/23 

New York Times, 0813/23 

Publishers Weekly, 09/11/23 

USBBY 2024 Outstanding International Book List 

Booklist (May 1, 2023 (Vol. 119, No. 17)): “Dinner means watery gruel again, and Mika’s dark humor includes references to cannibalism. Originally published in Swede, the novel ends with justice done and, for Mika, a newfound sense of purpose.” 

Horn Book Magazine (September/ October, 2023): “Joyous, funny, suspenseful, and serious—an unusual and winning combination for middle-grade readers. Let’s hope its three sequels appear in Prime’s English translation too.” 

Kirkus Reviews starred (June 1, 2023): “Rundberg’s sharp writing gives readers a window into the underside of a desperate city grappling with a devastating winter, police corruption, and the cruel indifference of many of its residents.” 

CONNECTIONS 

A great activity would be to search maps of Stockholm, Sweden, 1880 so students can see what the setting of this story looked like. They can use district databases to do their search and recreate their own map of what they see.  

Having students draw a picture of what they think the “Dark Angel” looks like would help extend their thinking of this mysterious figure that was only described as a long, thin figure dressed in hat and coat. Giving the readers the opportunity to draw on their own imagination based off the description can be a great way to see each person’s vision for this character of the story.  

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