The arrival of a mysterious new neighbor inspires a kid to write her own poetry in this humorous and unforgettable new middle-grade novel by award-winning author Cary Fagan.
Andie Gladman is your typical kid — she lives in a small town, doesn't have many friends and quietly puts up with taunts from the school bully, Myrtle Klinghoffer. But one day, a new neighbor moves into the house next to Andie's family . . . and he looks awfully familiar. Could he be famous author Hans Christian Andersen? Andie sure thinks so, and the arrival of this well-known writer inspires Andie to write her own poems (with a feminist twist) based on his classic fairy tales. Her newfound hobby leads her to make a friend and finally feel some excitement about her previously quiet life . . . but will a shocking revelation change everything for Andie?
CARY FAGAN's numerous kids' books include The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster, which was a JLG selection, the Kaspar Snit novels, the Wolfie & Fly chapter books, and the picture books Water, Water, Little Blue Chair, What Are You Doing, Benny?, King Mouse, which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award, and Bear Wants to Sing. Mr. Zinger's Hat, another of his picture books, was awarded the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the IODE Jean Throop Award. He has also won the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People for his body of work. Cary was born and raised in Toronto, where he continues to live with his family.
View titles by Cary Fagan
CHELSEA O'BYRNE is an author, illustrator and art teacher based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She graduated in 2016 from Emily Carr University of Art + Design with a B.F.A. in Illustration. Since then, she has worked in editorial illustration and children’s books. Chelsea uses a combination of many different materials to make her illustrations, including gouache, watercolor, colored pencil, pastel, graphite, ink and markers.
View titles by Chelsea O'Byrne
SHORTLIST
| 2025 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
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• Yemen
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
"Andie [is] a born storyteller. . . . Chelsea O’Byrne’s drawings, delicate and folksy, help bring the characters out of the narrative shadows." —New York Times
"[A] funny and thought-provoking middle-grade novel about the power of stories — especially the ones we tell ourselves." —Quill & Quire
"Hans Christian Andersen Lives Next Door makes a good choice for newly independent readers and fairy tale aficionados." —CM: Canadian Review of Materials
The arrival of a mysterious new neighbor inspires a kid to write her own poetry in this humorous and unforgettable new middle-grade novel by award-winning author Cary Fagan.
Andie Gladman is your typical kid — she lives in a small town, doesn't have many friends and quietly puts up with taunts from the school bully, Myrtle Klinghoffer. But one day, a new neighbor moves into the house next to Andie's family . . . and he looks awfully familiar. Could he be famous author Hans Christian Andersen? Andie sure thinks so, and the arrival of this well-known writer inspires Andie to write her own poems (with a feminist twist) based on his classic fairy tales. Her newfound hobby leads her to make a friend and finally feel some excitement about her previously quiet life . . . but will a shocking revelation change everything for Andie?
CARY FAGAN's numerous kids' books include The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster, which was a JLG selection, the Kaspar Snit novels, the Wolfie & Fly chapter books, and the picture books Water, Water, Little Blue Chair, What Are You Doing, Benny?, King Mouse, which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award, and Bear Wants to Sing. Mr. Zinger's Hat, another of his picture books, was awarded the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the IODE Jean Throop Award. He has also won the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People for his body of work. Cary was born and raised in Toronto, where he continues to live with his family.
View titles by Cary Fagan
CHELSEA O'BYRNE is an author, illustrator and art teacher based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She graduated in 2016 from Emily Carr University of Art + Design with a B.F.A. in Illustration. Since then, she has worked in editorial illustration and children’s books. Chelsea uses a combination of many different materials to make her illustrations, including gouache, watercolor, colored pencil, pastel, graphite, ink and markers.
View titles by Chelsea O'Byrne
Awards
SHORTLIST
| 2025 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
Rights
Available for sale exclusive:
• Afghanistan
• Aland Islands
• Albania
• Algeria
• Andorra
• Angola
• Anguilla
• Antarctica
• Antigua/Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Aruba
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bermuda
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bonaire, Saba
• Bosnia Herzeg.
• Botswana
• Bouvet Island
• Brazil
• Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
• Brit.Virgin Is.
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Cape Verde
• Cayman Islands
• Centr.Afr.Rep.
• Chad
• Chile
• China
• Christmas Islnd
• Cocos Islands
• Colombia
• Comoro Is.
• Congo
• Cook Islands
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Curacao
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Dem. Rep. Congo
• Denmark
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Rep.
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Gui.
• Eritrea
• Estonia
• Ethiopia
• Falkland Islnds
• Faroe Islands
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Fren.Polynesia
• French Guinea
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Germany
• Ghana
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Greenland
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Guam
• Guatemala
• Guernsey
• Guinea Republic
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Heard/McDon.Isl
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ireland
• Isle of Man
• Israel
• Italy
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jersey
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macau
• Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mali
• Malta
• Marshall island
• Martinique
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mayotte
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Minor Outl.Ins.
• Moldavia
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Montserrat
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Myanmar
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Niue
• Norfolk Island
• North Korea
• North Mariana
• Norway
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Palestinian Ter
• Panama
• PapuaNewGuinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Pitcairn Islnds
• Poland
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• Qatar
• Reunion Island
• Romania
• Russian Fed.
• Rwanda
• S. Sandwich Ins
• Saint Martin
• Samoa,American
• San Marino
• SaoTome Princip
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Sint Maarten
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• South Sudan
• Spain
• Sri Lanka
• St Barthelemy
• St. Helena
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent
• St.Chr.,Nevis
• St.Pier,Miquel.
• Sth Terr. Franc
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Svalbard
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Tadschikistan
• Taiwan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Togo
• Tokelau Islands
• Tonga
• Trinidad,Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Turks&Caicos Is
• Tuvalu
• US Virgin Is.
• USA
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• Unit.Arab Emir.
• United Kingdom
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vatican City
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Wallis,Futuna
• West Saharan
• Western Samoa
• Yemen
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
Photos
Praise
"Andie [is] a born storyteller. . . . Chelsea O’Byrne’s drawings, delicate and folksy, help bring the characters out of the narrative shadows." —New York Times
"[A] funny and thought-provoking middle-grade novel about the power of stories — especially the ones we tell ourselves." —Quill & Quire
"Hans Christian Andersen Lives Next Door makes a good choice for newly independent readers and fairy tale aficionados." —CM: Canadian Review of Materials