Ingvild Bjerkeland has in the recent years established herself as one of the most important voices in Norwegian middle grade literature. Her novel Beasts (2023) won Ark's Bokhandlerpris (Ark's Children's Book Prize), and earned nominations for The Avid Reader Award and The Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize 2024. The book has been a bestseller here in Norway, and has been published internationally to critical acclaim. It is translated into ten lanugages. Now she is once again a super finalist for The Avid Reader Award with Dad and Other Terrorists.
 

The Avid Reader Award

The Avid Reader Award is decided by students ages 10-12. Each year ten middle grade books are nominated for this award, and across Norway over 120.000 students will read and vote forward their five favourite books to become super finalists. The winner is also decided by students, and will be announced 26. April 2026. The aim of the award is to promote reading.

Dad and Other Terrorists

All Erle wants is to have an ordinary holiday like ordinary people do. A trip to Costa del Sol, for example! But instead, her journalist father Rehman drags her off on a work trip to London where he’s covering the Climate Conference. Erle only has one afternoon to play tourist before Dad starts fussing about work again. And he’s constantly busy with weird phone calls.

While Erle and Dad are eating dinner, they hear shots. Dad tells Erle to hide under the restaurant table and stay there. Meanwhile, he runs outside towards the gunfire. A second later, there’s an explosion. A bomb has gone off close by.

Erle wakes up in hospital with a broken arm. Dad is in a coma. What has happened? Who is behind the bombing? Why did Dad leave Erle in the restaurant – did he know something about the attack?