Mio's Kingdom

by Astrid Lindgren

With help from a genie, young Karl Anders Nilsson travels by day and night, beyond the stars, to reach Farawayland. There, his father the King, who has been searching for him for nine long years, tells him his true name is Mio, and lavishes upon him the loving attention he never received from his foster parents back in Stockholm. Mio learns of a prophecy that has been foretold for thousand of years. With his best friend Pompoo, and his horse with the golden mane, Miramis, he must travel into the darkness of Outer Land to battle the cruel Sir Kato.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Classics, Fiction, Swedish Literature, Adventure, Scandinavian Literature

133 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren, née Ericsson, (1907 - 2002) was a Swedish children's book author and screenwriter, whose many titles were translated into 85 languages and published in more than 100 countries. She has sold roughly 165 million copies worldwide. Today, she is most remembered for writing the Pippi Longstocking books, as well as the Karlsson-on-the-Roof book series.

Awards:
Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing (1958)

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

All you grown-ups out there, can you hear me?

Yes, I mean you, literary experts, analysing the magic of children's literature until it withers and dies under your scrutiny!

You remember Bo Vilhelm Olsson, the boy who sat in Tegnérlunden and felt lonely, and who was then swept away on the most amazing adventure ever, where he got to meet his father and to save the children from a man with a heart of stone (literally, not figuratively made of stone)?

That was by far my favourite story when I was a child, one of the first I read on my own, over and over, tasting the flavour of the fairytale language mixed with the reflection on the hardship of being an orphan in Stockholm city, enjoying the soothing repetition of patterns as if it was a poem.

I read it to my own children too, feeling EXACTLY the same power flowing from the pages when my (then) primary school children cuddled up around me and took in the adventure with silent awe.

And now, at least thirty years after my first reading, and ten after my most recent reading of Mio, Min Mio, I happen to stumble upon a literary analysis that makes my illusion break down like a house of cards.

In the typical language (which I am guilty of myself in my incarnation as a professional) which tends to kill any spirit of any book by adding too much buzzwording and footnoting and too little understanding of what actually constitutes the joy of reading, I find a paragraph referring to "the grown-up reader" next to the child, who "knows it is all an illusion", who "knows that Bo Vilhelm Olsson is still sitting in Tegnérlunden", and that "the adventure only takes place in his head" - that it is all not magical at all.

If that is the way I am supposed to "read" the story as a grown-up, I am quite pleased to stay a child.

Bo Vilhelm Olsson doesn't sit there. He is Mio now, I say! And I think Astrid Lindgren thought the same. Otherwise we could just as well claim Harry never left for Hogwarts...

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mio, my son... such a kind and unassuming phrase, for such a kind and unassuming boy, in such a sweet story. Such a sweet story, full of longing and sadness - but only at first. At first there is sadness, a lack of love - but then comes happiness, an abundance of love. An abundance of love - but one tinged with a strange fear, a terror of the unknown. A terror of the unknown transformed: turned into a quest, a rescue mission. A rescue mission with a boy and his friend, both still afraid and prone to tears; brave boys and then not-so-brave boys, terrified in the face of a great evil. A great evil, surely - but one with a core of self-loathing: sometimes even evil cannot abide itself, so the author makes clear. The author makes clear that it is love, love most of all, that little boys and little girls and all things need. All things need love: the love between friends; the love of a neighbor; love expressed through gestures and deeds, on the face and in the eyes; simple, friendly, kindly love - the love of all things, every thing, every person, each a possible new friend; the love of a parent, saying a simple, loving phrase: Mio, my son...

[♡ Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne
Ich habe als Kind Astrid Lindgren gelesen, aber ich glaube, "Mio, mein Mio" war nicht darunter. Ich kann mich nicht mehr daran erinnern.
Auch jetzt habe ich das Buch nicht gelesen, ich habe das Hörbuch gehört. Es hat mir gut gefallen, aber ich glaube tatsächlich, dieses Buch sollte ich noch einmal selbst lesen. Es gibt Geschichten, die funktionieren als Hörbuch einfach nicht so gut wie geschriebene Bücher (bei mir ist das manchmal so), und ich glaube, dieses gehört dazu.
Die Geschichte von Mio hat sehr vieles, das ich mag. Abenteuer, Fantasie, Gefühl.

[Tijana]

Moj sin Mio (tj. "Mio, moj Mio") neiskusnom (vrlo mladom) ili površnom čitaocu može delovati kao klasična dečja fantastika o klincu koga usvojitelji maltretiraju i zanemaruju, ali on onda ode u čarobnu zemlju gde je njegov otac kralj koji ga voli najviše na svetu, doživi razne pustolovine i pobedi oličenje zla i svi žive srećno zauvek.
Jeste đavola. U pitanju je teška i tužna priča o usamljenom dečaku koji sedi na klupi u hladno veče, gleda u osvetljene prozore iza kojih zamišlja srećne porodice, i sam sebi priča bajku o, pogađate, čarobnoj zemlji gde je njegov otac kralj koji ga voli najviše na svetu...
Astrid Lindgren ovde baš balansira na ivici noža. Imam utisak da je sve mnogo jasnije (makar odraslom čitaocu koji za vreme čitanja samo guta knedle) nego u analogno postavljenoj Braći Lavlje Srce: pripovedanje je stilizovano kao klasična poetska bajka, sa gotovo ritmičnim, hipnotičkim ponavljanjem pojedinih fraza i sa do koske ogoljenim paralelama između realnosti i njenog fantastičnog pandana. Zamislivo mi je da bi neko ko ima manje od devet godina ovo doživeo kao najbolju priču na svetu (samo malo kratku) sa najčistijim hepiendom, ali ne bih preporučila neko zajedničko čitanje dece i roditelja da se ne bi završilo... pa... kognitivnom disonancom i suzama.

[Mohammed Abdikhader Firdhiye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is story-wise pretty straightforward and simple fairy tale,fantasy but the writing was of higher level. Since this is the the first time i have read Astrid Lindgren i didnt know what to expect. It was written in a epic poetry like prose that made the story much more interesting,fantastical and imaginative. Her storytelling techniques was clear to see what she was trying to do.

In hindsight its better i read this as an adult where i could see clearly what the writing, the prose style was doing.

[Rebecca]

Bo Wilhelm Olsson lebt in Stockholm bei Pflegeeltern, die eigentlich gar kein Interesse an ihm haben. Verständlich ist sein Neid auf die anderen Kinder, die abends mit ihren Eltern und Geschwistern gemütlich beisammen sitzen.

Eines Tages gerät er mithilfe eines Flaschengeistes in das geheimnisvolle Land der Ferne, wo sich herausstellt, dass Bo gar nicht Bo heißt. Eigentlich ist er Mio, der lange verschollene Sohn des Königs! In seinem neuen Zuhause findet Mio bald neue Freunde und gedeiht unter der Liebe seines Vaters. Schließlich macht er sich auf zu seiner Mission, die schon vor tausenden Jahren prophezeit wurde: Ein Königssohn wird das Land einmal vom Bösen befreien. Und so beginnt Mios Reise, den unheimlichen Ritter Kato zu vernichten.
___________________

Wann ist man zu alt für Kinderbücher? Vielleicht, wenn man jeden zweiten Satz hinterfragt und ständig den Verdacht hat, dass alle Figuren unbekannte Motive für ihr Handeln haben. Mio, mein Mio hat mich letztendlich überrascht, da wirklich alles so war wie beschrieben – die Guten waren gut, die Bösen waren böse. Kein doppelter Boden, keine Hinterhältigkeit, keine hässlichen Überraschungen. Wirklich, am Anfang war ich überzeugt, Mio Vater, der König, hätte Bo Wilhelm Olsson einfach von der Straße wegentführt, weil ihn eh keiner vermissen würde.

Jetzt im Nachhinein ist es mir fast ein bisschen peinlich, dass ich so argwöhnisch war. Die liebe Astrid wollte doch einfach nur ein nettes Kinderbuch schreiben.

Für Kinder bestimmt ein tolles Buch!

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

"All I know is that I laughed because it made my father the king happy."

I couldn't say what or that anything was wrong with it, but I could not connect with this book as well as I did with The Brothers Lionheart or Ronia the Robber's Daughter. It is a cute story, and although a lot of it seemed heartfelt, it struck me as distant.

However, I can absolutely see younger readers loving this. A lot of it seemed dream-like, some parts reminded me of fairy tales. Perhaps it is because Mio himself often compared things to fairy tales, and the narration had a repetitive theme which also made it seem more like a tale than a story one gets invested into - perhaps that's why it struck me as distant?

The final paragraph seemed a bit odd I can't help but feel that there was a hint that all of Mio's adventures were just wishful thinking and that he, in fact, never left his unhappy life with his adoptive parents.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was originally published in 1954. It catapulted Astrid Lindren to worldwide fame and earned her the title best fairytale inventor in literature. I hadn't known this story but when I saw there was an edition with illustrations by Johan Egerkrans, I had to have it!*

* I own a few other books by Johan Egerkrans, one of which is a slipcased trio of books depicting all kinds of mythic creatures and which I gifted myself for Christmas a few years ago. His style is glorious and I can never resist buying books he illustrated.

Anyway, the story is that of a young boy, nicknamed Bosse, who is an orphan after his mother has died (nobody knows anything about his father). He's living with foster parents who treat him badly.
One day, he is recognized and sent to the Land of Far Away where his father is king. But the land is in trouble because of the evil knight Kato so Bosse, now known as Prince Mio, and his friend(s) have to save it.

Classic setup with Lindgren's signature charming writing making it her own. Plus, the afore-mentioned gorgeous illustrations by Egerkrans. If you don't believe me, here is proof:







So definitely a classic that one should have read even if the gist of the story sounds familiar. Charming and lively, fun and full of heart.

[MizzSandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I ever read on my own. And I have read it many times since. It's very dark and sad, but there's a glimmer of hope shining as a bright star on the night sky. It's beautiful and it touches and tears at my heart everytime I read it.
I guess it's classified as a childrens book, but really it's an 'for every age' book. Adults as well as children will be moved by this story. I know for myself, this is one of the books I will never outgrow and which will never lose it's ability to touch my heart.

[Lynette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm biased because I loved the movie when I was a kid. Maybe the translation that I read is really bad. Or maybe I'm just way too old for a book written for such young kids. Whatever the reason, I really didn't understand what was so great about this book, and I'm disappointed. Ever since I was a kid, I've been looking for this book, and never could order it or anything. I remembered it a little while ago, and was able to order it on Amazon.

It felt so flat to me. I felt no connection to Mio. The story goes on so quickly that one barely has time to figure out what's going on before it rushes on to the next thing. I understand it's written for young children, but there is no build-up, the climax is rather weak, and the ending is rather flat as well. I actually found that I didn't like Mio at all. I didn't really care what happened to him. He didn't actually have to do anything for himself. When he and Pompoo (seriously, why did they change his name to Pompoo?) are being chased by spies, a tree just opens up to hide them, then the ground opens up to hide them. Then they somehow end up back at Eno's place, but the entrance to the Deepest Cave in the Blackest Mountain is right there. If it was so close to Eno's cottage, why didn't he say, "go out and hang a left"? Even when he fights Kato, Kato almost immediately just says, "kill me!" Mio works for nothing.

Again, I understand that a young children's book isn't going to be very deep, but I at least expect it to be more interesting and coherent. And for there to actually be emotion. The horses had more emotion than the humans!

[Natalya Misyuk]

Цю книжку я знайшла і прочитала вже дорослою. Хоча написана однією з найулюбленіших авторок, твір мені не сподобався. Втім, тут (на відміну від “Маленького принця”) я хоча б розумію причини. Нікого не хочу образити, але буду чесною: по-перше, на мій смак оповідь нудна. По-друге, мене лякає оцей “крутий татко”. Ввижається, що його образ виник під впливом потужного травматичного досвіду… Трошки погано мені від цієї думки.

Погоджуюсь, що твір видатний. Знаю, що багатьом, і дорослим, і дітям він дуже-дуже подобається. Що ж, я не з їх числа. Це просто моя чесна думка.

[Aroosha Dehghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

وقتی با سن مادربزرگ سرندیپیتی کتاب کودک می‌خونی که نباید انتظار داشته باشی آخرش رو حدس نزنی😅
پس بخون از مسیر لذت ببر.
این کتاب برای من مسیر لذت‌بخشی داشت؛ به ویژه که بین کلی کتاب جدی خوندمش.
تصاویرش رو هم رنگ کردم😝
به عنوان کسی که تو کودکیش شاهنامه برای کودکان و آذریزدی می‌خوند و تو نوجوانی دیکنز برای نوجوانان،پسرم می‌یو برام تجربه‌ی جالب و جدیدی بود که دوستش داشتم.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easter was the perfect time to read this.

[Nikakioy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine schöne, spannende und kurzweilige Geschichte für Kinder. Das Buch nimmt einen mit auf ein Abenteuer, bei dem nicht immer alles gut läuft und bringt Kindern die Themen Verlust, Einsamkeit und Tod näher, was viele Erwachsene aus vermeintlicher Fürsorge oft nicht tun. Ich finde es jedoch wichtig, dass früh über soetwas gesprochen wird.

4/5⭐

[Ida Hellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyssnade på Mio, min Mio som ljudbok. Måste medge att detta är första gången jag hört historien och jag blev inte besviken!

[Veronika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hach. Ein traumhaft schönes, verzaubertes Kindermärchen. Ich habe es immer noch genauso gerne gelesen wie in meiner Kindheit.

[Joanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a child I read a lot Astrid Lindgren’s books and loved the world of imagination these stories helped me created. However, Mio, My Mio was not among them. Now I read it for the first time with my children and enjoyed it, although much less than my 7 yo. He was very excited and emotional about the story of emotionally abused Bosse who thought he had no one in his life and then discovered than in another world he was a son of a king who loved him a lot. Also, Mio had destiny to fulfil and his path was not only the journey to fight the evil but also find courage in himself.

To be honest I couldn’t unsee the book as a story of dealing with trauma, which was terribly sad and I was scared that in the end Bosse would wake up on his bench, cold and lonely. Fortunately, it’s a book for children and it was uplifting and moving. And I loved the very title, the phrase filled with so much love it literally brought tears to my eyes.

I really think all kids will find something for themselves in Lindgren’s books (although my son asked me to stop reading Children of Bullerbyn…)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combination of portal fantasy and original fairy tale, this is written in a more stylized fashion than her other books, and probably aimed at younger readers than Pippi or Ronja as well. Mio, an unloved orphan in our world, finds that in the land of Faraway he is the beloved, long-lost prince. He has a doting father, a beautiful and magical horse, lives in a palace, is surrounded by friends. But the dark side of this is that other children in Farawayland are being kidnapped by the evil Sir Kato, and so it is up to Mio to save them.

[Dominika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was exquisite.

2025 reread: needed something simple and full of goodness and hope to read right now, so I picked this up for my four year old's bedtime read aloud. He cried for one more chapter when I stopped reading each night.

I found the Miramis flying scene and the Milimani scenes especially moving this time.

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stjärnor Söt bok! <3

[Giarra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich kannte das Buch nicht und habe mich in einem Rutsch durch die Geschichte durchgelesen. Eine wunderbare Geschichte, die vor allem durch den Schreibstil verzaubert! 👑

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceptively simple and straight-forward; I sense depths that I'll better plumb upon a reread in a year or two. If nothing else I'll remember Sir Kato's stone heart for a long time....

The only reason this might be difficult for a modern American child is that the setup takes very little time, the introduction to the land of Faraway quite a bit more, and the adventure only half the book.

Lots of illustrations of little boys with bare long legs and long jerseys and horses, flowers, a cottage, a well, a grandma.... Wikland used a more casual line than he did in the Lotta books, but the pictures still charm.

Reread. Opinion holds. Beautiful story, obviously more mysterious and allegorical than a superficial reading reveals... but darned if I can lay a finger on exactly what it is that's going on under the surface. I bet it's even better in the original Swedish.

[Mai Laakso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruotsalainen Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002) kirjoitti hurmaavia lastenkirjoja, joista Mio, poikani Mio on varmasti hellyttävimmästä päästä. Kirjan päähenkilö oli 9-vuotias Juhani Ville Hämäläinen, joka poistui kotoaan, mutta josta ei saatu koskaan tietoja mihin poika katosi. Juhani Ville Hämäläinen oli oikeasti Kaukaisen Maan prinssi Mio, joka taikavoimien avulla löysi isänsä Kaukaisen Maan kuninkaan ja kotimaansa.
Kaukaisessa Maassa Mio kaipasi kuitenkin ystäväänsä, ja kuinka ollakaan hän sai uuden ystävän Jum-Jumin, jonka kanssa Miolla oli kaikenlaisia seikkailuja hevosensa Miramarin selässä.
Mio ja Jum-Jum kohtasivat retkillään ihmisiä, joiden lapset oli siepattu, ja ystävykset halusivat auttaa lapset takaisin koteihinsa.
Kirja on samalla reipas ja koskettava, voittoisa ja pelottava, mutta ystävyys kantaa tarinan kahta pientä poikaa seikkailujen läpi.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ensimmäinen kertani kun luin kyseisen kirjan! Hieman riskillä suoraan ääneen lapsiryhmälle, mutta toisaalta harvoinpa Lindgren pettää. Ei tälläkään kertaa, ja vaikkei ihan lempparien joukkoon tuotannostaan nousekaan, lapset pitivät hurjasti. Sopivan jännittävä ja otteessaan pitävä, ja tästä "vanhanajan" hidastempoisuudesta pidän kyllä minäkin. Ihana kun koko ajan ei pauku, hälise, tapahdu ja räjähdä, mikään ei ole niin ihanaa vastapainoa nykylastenkulttuurille kuin tämä vanhempi. Vaikka on siinä tuoreemmassakin toki helmensä, mutta ilman tätä "ennen kaikki oli parempaa" -huumaa, tietenkin.

[Thunder · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is probably one of the most boring book I've ever read!
I think it would be nice to read for your small children as a bedtime story but not for anything else. I had to read the whole book since it was a school thing and I died of boredom several times while reading it. Then everytimne I died Mio came and resurrected me ,and I died again, and he resurrected me, and i died and so on...
Nothing really happens in the book except Mio riding around with his extremely annoying friend Jum-Jum!
Don't read this book!
The book gets -27334735 stars!!!

[NadaA · Rating 5 out of 5]

رائعة أخرى من روائع استريد ليندجرين شاهدت فيها ولدي ذا السبع سنوات يقع في حب القراءة وقعة لا أرجو له نجاة منها ♡

ميو ولد متبنى لعائلة لاتحبه ترسله جارة مشفقة بطريقة فنتازية الى faraawayland الأرض القصية ليلتقي بوالده الملك.

يبدو أن الجميع كان يتظر ميو ليحقق نبوءة عمرها ألف ألف سنة بمحاربة السير كاتو.

حبس الأنفاس، والشجاعة، ومواجهة الخوف، وتحسس آلام الآخرين، واستشعار الخير، والنفور من الشر؛ كلها مشاعر وأحاسيس ومباديء لمستها في هذه القصة الكلاسيك.

[Eva Draviņa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skaista un skumja grāmata:

Es jutos tik vientuļš. Es aizgāju un apsēdos uz soliņa Tēgnera parkā. Tur nebija neviena cilvēka. Visi bija aizgājuši mājās ēst vakariņas. Parks slīga krēslā, un mazliet lija. Bet apkārtējās mājās visur spīdēja gaisma. Man ienāca prātā, ka visur, kur spīd gaisma, bērni sēž kopā ar saviem tētiem un savām māmiņām. Vienīgi es sēdēju te ārā, tumsā. Vientuļš.

[Svenja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich kannte die Geschichte vorher noch nicht, aber die Geschichten von Astrid Lindgren sind wirklich für alle Altersgruppen geeignet.

War ein süßes Abenteuermärchen.

[Анастасія ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Трішки набридло постійне «Міо, мій Міо».

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit boek van Lindgren had ik nooit gelezen, oeps. Gelukkig bracht Uitgeverij Ploegsma dit verhaal kortgeleden opnieuw uit.
Hetzelfde verhaal, maar nu met sprekende illustraties van Johan Egerkrans.

Mio, mijn Mio is een mooi verhaal waarin weer veel meer verborgen zit dan je in eerste instantie denkt. Een boek dat én door kinderen én door volwassenen gelezen kan worden.

Tekst en beeld vertellen in woord en kleur een verhaal over o.a. goed en kwaad, moed, vriendschap, elkaar helpen, luisteren, familie, je ergens thuis en geliefd voelen en doorzetten.
Lindgren schrijft erg goed (wisten we al), je wilt als lezer op sommige momenten graag met Mio mee. Egerkrans laat mensen en landschappen stralen door warmte, maar ridder Kato straalt precies de kilte uit die beschreven wordt. Voelbaar en zichtbaar is ook de vriendschap tussen Mio en Jum-Jum en Miramis. Heel erg mooi, geen illustraties om onbekeken om te slaan!

Na het einde gelezen te hebben schreef ik op een blaadje: Zelfs de naarste mensen hebben een hart.

Toevallig begon mijn volgende boek met een citaat van Rainer Maria Rilke:
Wellicht is alles wat er aan verschrikking leeft
In diepste wezen wel niets anders dan iets
Wat onze liefde nodig heeft

Zo is het maar net. Mio zag het.
Uiteraard zit er nog meer in