Norwegian writer Anne-Cathrine Westley, the creator of stories about a house where eight boys and girls grow up, is popular all over Europe—probably no less than the famous Astrid Lindgren. The heroes of her books are simple, but very charming: kind, honest, hardworking. Here adults don’t lose their ability to laugh at themselves and at each other, no matter what lessons life throws at them. And most of all, they understand their children surprisingly well—and keep that understanding no matter what the children do or invent next.