Well, perhaps my personal rating for Dagmar Chidolue's 1996 (and early reader from about the age of six or seven onwards and with very much nicely simple but also wonderfully, delightfully expressive third person narration) Millie in London (which is number five of Chidolue's more than twenty tome Millie series and shows a trip to London, England for six year old Millie, her younger sister Trudel and of course also for the parents, and not by plane, but by car, so that Millie once the family arrives in England keeps yelling at her father that he is about to get into an accident because he is supposedly and for her driving on the "wrong" side of the road) should not be solidly and appreciatively five stars. Because indeed, there definitely is a bit of cultural stereotyping to be encountered in Millie in London and I do equally realise that how Dagmar Chidolue textually depicts Millie as behaving and acting towards her younger sister and also whilst playing with two boys from the neighbourhood might be considered anathema and cringe-worthy by some parents, teachers etc. (with Millie being a bit like Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones but in general considerably more likeable, imaginative and with a curiosity and thirst for knowledge that is to be lauded, although for in particular American book banning hystericals, Millie's imagination and wanting, needing to know more and more would likely already be hugely problematic, majorly dangerous and threatening, so that I guess I am also rather happy that none of Chidolue's Millie stories seem to have been translated into English, as I do sadly believe that the entire series would more than likely be challenged and censored particularly in Socially Conservative states like Florida and Texas and also by religiously extremists and so called law and order ridiculous puritanicals).
But yes, for me and in particular so for my inner child, every part of Millie in London has been a totally textually delightful and uplifting reading experience, with Dagmar Chidolue's textual stereotyping (both regarding England and also regarding Millie and her family, who are German) not just entertaining but also I must add quite realistic and authentic feeling (all-round and generally never ever nasty either, often majorly funny and making me totally simile, but also I guess a bit painfully and groaningly so at times). And well, how at the beginning of Millie in London (before the family in fact leaves for England), Millie punches neighbourhood bully Gus squarely and solidly in the face after he keeps painfully pinching and continuously harassing her, and that Chidolue actually has Millie's father verbally and pretty much officially praise and commend his daughter when Gus' mother comes and complains, to say that this is majorly appreciated and enjoyed by not only my already mentioned inner child but in fact and equally so by my adult self who well remembers being bullied and then being severely punished by ignorant adults for lashing out at the bullies, yes that is both the truth and also rather a major and huge understatement and something that makes me absolutely and glowingly adore Millie in London and Dagmar Chidolue as the author with every fibre of my being, not to mention that I also kind of do wish that similar books to Millie in London in both German and English had been available to and for me when I was a child and a tween, since yes indeed, the majority of stories involving bullying I encountered as a young reader generally seemed to promote and suggest ignoring bullying, trying to make friends with and understand bullies and why they were being nasty, and also need to find fault with myself, that basically the bullied somehow and often rather deserved their fate.
And finally, I also totally love, love, love the inadvertent language misunderstandings that unilingual German speaker Millie experiences in Millie in London, as indeed, I remember very much similar scenarios when we immigrated to Canada (and that, for example, I just like Millie also thought as a ten year old recent immigrant that the English form of address Miss might be something rude and vulgar since it sounded so much like the German noun for manure). A wonderful, a delightful novel full of fun and textual entertainment is Millie in London (and with Dagmar Chidolue, with the author also and wonderfully, appreciatively understanding and pointing out that bullies often really do need more than just being ignored, that stereotyping during travel as well as language based gaffes just do happen and are not something necessarily serious, but in fact something often potentially fun and humorous). Highly recommended (and that yes, I would consider Millie in London as easy enough to read with an intermediate fluency in German) and that I am also trying to obtain the entire Millie series for myself, not just for my personal reading pleasure, but that I do think this series might work rather well for my elementary German college classes and be a bit more engaging and fun than using only textbooks.