Two Meine Freundin Conni Books


These two books are a wonderful gift from Professor Demleitner! Thank you so much for your generosity, and for supporting me on my journey to learn more German.


I envy the young readers of today. They have access to a prolific Middle Grade market with more imaginative worlds and relatable characters than ever before. There are fantasy adventures, mini-thrillers and books about ordinary children living their lives. Now that I’m beginning read children’s books in German, I can appreciate the planning that goes into crafting books of different genres.


The two books that read most recently, Conni in der großen Stadt and Conni und die verflixte 13 by Julia Boehme, are great examples of the “ordinary kid adventures” genre. The two stories follow their titular character through the trials and tribulations of everyday life. In Conni in der großen Stadt, Conni visits her uncle and cousin in Berlin, where an accidental backpack swap leads to a madcap chase through parks, museums and even a zoo! Boehme makes the city the main character, using Conni’s cousin Michael and uncle Andreas to describe various facets of city life while keeping the plot light and enjoyable. She focuses more on developing the city and Conni’s relatives than the main character herself, but that’s perfectly acceptable for the twelfth book in the bestselling Meine Freundin Conni series.



Conni und die verflixte 13 is the thirteenth book in that series, and it takes full advantage of the number’s unlucky status. Superstition—Aberglaube—is the focus of the story, which is set in the cutthroat world of the Theater-AG. Conni wants to play Aschenputtel in her school’s adaptation of the Cinderella story, but (like Vivian from Ran an den Schatz, previously reviewed on my blog) finds herself competing against a more refined rival. Things take a turn for the worse as a streak of bad luck threatens to dash her theatrical dreams. I appreciated learning about which superstitions were shared by both German and American culture, like how Friday the 13th is an unlucky day or how breaking a mirror invites seven years of misfortune. Sadly, this book doesn’t explore theatrical superstitions too deeply. Maybe it’s just my Theater Kid™ myopia, but I would love to know if there is a German-language curse related to the play Macbeth or if it’s dangerous to whistle in a theater.


Whenever I encounter a book that features a theatrical production, I always want to read more about the play than the “main” storyline. I was disappointed by Station Eleven for that reason, and had high hopes for Ran an den Schatz! because it promised to explore the intersection of drama and friendship. Neither of those are close to the purpose of this book, though.


The purpose of the Meine Freundin Conni series is to provide an enjoyable story for young readers of the next generation. If they enjoy slice-of-life stories with likable characters and happy endings, they might like it too.

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