I found this secondhand book in the family bookshelf back home and had a delightful time reading this old book last month! As I am reviewing the book from memory, please forgive me for any factual errors…
“Love from Nicky” is translated from German and it’s about 9 year old, Nicky, whose parents are actors. Due to their unconventional careers, Nicky does not see his parents on a daily basis as his father sleeps in late and stars work in the afternoons.
His Mum works in another town thus Nicky spends a lot of time with his nanny at home when he’s not at school.
As I read the book, I got the impression that Nicky is a bright, curious and thoughtful boy. Also, he’s a plain-speaking boy as is expected for someone his age.
For his birthday, Nicky receives a beautiful box of letter-writing paper and envelopes from his Granny and his father suggests that he uses them well. Although Nicky loves writing letters (especially to his out-of-town Mummy), he’d rather do it in the company of his father.
The first letter Nicky writes is to thank his Granny for the present. Later, Nicky observes that situations around him are not what they ought to be and so, he takes action into his own hands by writing to the person in question.
One of these letters are in response to a bookstore owner’s “survey” asking his young patrons to list down their favourite books and also to inform him of any other books they might be interested in.
In his childish innocence, Nicky writes to the bookstore owner to tell him how can he be expected to know which is his favourite book in the book store if he only has the chance to see the cover?
Also, Nicky gives the bookstore owner some suggestions for the bookstore from a child’s point of view. To his surprise, Nicky is invited to the bookstore where he expects to be scolded!
Instead, the bookstore owner tells Nicky that he’s interested in his suggestions and will open up a children’s reading corner AND invites him and a friend (preferably a girl) to read there daily.
Nicky can’t believe his luck and he’s sorry he has to read in the children’s corner with his best friend’s sister (as best friend is in the hospital with appendicitis?) – hahaha, Nicky is at THAT age where boys don’t like girls and vice versa, you know?
The bookstore owner kindly puts a plate of cookies for the children to snack on as they read and soon, more and more children visit the bookstore to read at the children’s corner…
I shall have to stop here as I don’t want to give the story away but safe to say that “Love from Nicky” is a really enjoyable book because it’s about the adventures of a young boy and his letters to the people around him!
Although Nicky gets into scrapes now and then, which gets his Dad upset with him, life turns out well in the end and yes, Nicky still continues to write his letters 
I don’t think “Love from Nicky” is in print anymore but I’d certainly like to save this book for Lucas to read when he’s older! And yes, I HOPE a movie producer in search of inspiration for a children’s Christmas movie would consider this book!!!
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