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Koens made her debut as a children’s author with the highly acclaimed Vogel (2011). Her next book, Sammie en opa (2013), won a Vlag en Wimpel, and Hotel Bonbien (2015) was nominated for the Flemish Boekenleeuw award. In 2017 Koens received the Charlotte Köhler Stipendium as a promising early-career author. Ik ben Vincent en ik ben niet bang (2017) was nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis and Die zomer met Jente (2019) won a Vlag en Wimpel.

Enne Koens

Nine-year-old Deetje is the daughter of a single mother who has little in common with her, in terms of both appearance and character: ‘If you got our cards in a game of Snap, your turn would be over,’ she observes. And it’s starting to bother her. Why does Deetje have brown skin and her mum doesn’t? She must be adopted. Or stolen – Deetje has a vivid imagination, which often runs away with her. Like the day when she finds a letter with ‘return to sender’ on it, which was written to someone who is missed very much. The original address has been scribbled out and the sender’s name is illegible. Deetje senses a mystery and, together with her best friend Vito, she goes out to investigate.

Enne Koens writes about missing someone in flowing, sensitive language full of beautiful parallels.

The events take place in and around Deetje’s block of flats, which she thinks a great place, one she can see the whole world from. During the search for the person the letter was sent to, Deetje and Vito find their way into the homes of various residents. Their stories are melancholy, sometimes heartrending mini-books within the book – but they don’t include the person the letter was sent to. That person turns out to be closer to Deetje than she suspects: the letter leads her to her own roots and to long-hidden family secrets. In a touching conclusion, the mother and daughter, who seem so different, become closer to each other.Koens’s casual style, with original observations and well-chosen metaphors, effortlessly takes the reader into the thoughts of this nine-year-old. This is a writer who understands how a child’s mind works. Her empathetic style ensures that this new book by Koens is, once again, a pleasure to read.

Although Enne Koens has written beautiful books before, such as Sammie en opa, Hotel Bonbien and Die zomer met Jente, this sixth title is her best one yet. She succeeds in linking Deetje’s existential inner search to a physical quest that brings her into contact with all kinds of colourful figures in the warmly described multicultural housing estate where she lives.

Koens’s style is relaxed, with occasional beautiful and original observations. With her stories, she places the reader directly in the events, while at the same time convincingly drawing them into the inner world of her characters.

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Vanaf hier kun je de hele wereld zien

Enne Koens’s new book reads like a detective novel, with the author deftly casting out the lines of her story. Once again, she has written a sensitive children’s novel full of colourful figures.

You Can See the Whole World from Here

Divorce and family feuds are, of course, dramatic events, but Koens tells the story with plenty of humour, and yet without ignoring the gravity of the situation. She describes the arguments – which are usually about money – hilariously, but still the reader can feel that, for Siri and her brother Gilles, it’s anything but fun. Gilles withdraws into himself and looks as “sad as a little dog in the rain”, while Siri tries to keep the peace. The way Siri analyses the differences between her parents is wonderful: “As far as my dad’s concerned, everything’s fine as long as it goes the way he thinks it will. My mum’s completely different. She likes it when everything turns out differently than she’d expected.” Siri’s dad is a nice guy, but he’s ineffectual and tight-fisted; he even dries used teabags on the radiator so that he can reuse them. Her mum, though, is passionate and enthusiastic and believes money’s there to be spent. Siri even notes that they snore differently: “I hear my mum snoring, loud and fast. I hear my dad snoring, all quiet and squeaky.” We follow Siri’s life for a year, as she wonders how she can improve her parents’ relationship and has lots of little adven­tures along the way. She puts spicy sambal sauce in her teacher’s coffee, goes to a beautifully described party at her friend Sylvie’s house – whose parents are getting divorced even though they never argue! – and has a nasty fall from a tree. After that accident, the story takes a gently absurd turn: Siri finds that the bump on her head has left her with a photographic memory. Her brother enters her into a memory competition – and the prize is seven thousand euros. Could that money put an end to all the arguments between her parents?

Enne Koens has established herself as an interesting new voice with 'Hotel Bonbien'.

There are some books that you close with a smile that stays on your face. 'Hotel Bonbien' by Enne Koens is that kind of book. It’s happy and funny but it also remains with you, as it has psychological depth and development.

Children's books

After the fabulous 'Sammie en opa' (Sammy and Grandpa, 2013), 'Hotel Bonbien' is Enne Koens’ second brilliant book for readers of eight and up. This is a warm and appealing story about ten-year-old Siri, who is worried that her parents, who run a roadside hotel on the N19 trunk road in France, are heading for divorce.

Hotel Bonbien

Eleven-year-old Vincent is constantly in survival mode. At school he gets excluded and mistreated, and he doesn’t really understand why. He finds consolation with a succession of imaginary animal friends and with his babysitter, Charlotte. She’s firm with him when it matters, and kind to him when he needs it. His new classmate, Jasmijn, is a bit like her. To Vincent’s surprise, Jasmijn wants to be his friend, but that still doesn’t get rid of the bullies. At school camp, the events reach a climax and Vincent finally dares to speak out.A beautiful children’s book that gives young readers convincing insight into the thoughts and emotions of a bullied child.

You could describe this as a classic book about bullying, but that would be doing a disservice to Enne Koens’s talent as a writer. In lucid language, she has penned a very moving story.

I’m Vincent and I’m Not Afraid

This grandpa is a cheerfully unconventional adventurer – a former sailor and truck driver – who scratches his bum, farts, and cuts his toenails with pliers. His bad manners are amusing and make him so much more mischievous than other literary grandpas.Grandpa tells Sammie all about his adventures, taking plenty of liberties with the truth. When Sam asks him if it all really happened, he says, “True or not true is for dull people, Sam. It’s not for us.”Sammie and Grandpa is written in a relaxed style, the dialogue has a natural flow, and there’s a fun craziness to the story. Even towards the end of the book, when Grandpa is on his deathbed, he can still smile at life. This book is both touching and heartening.

Enne Koens makes you forget the great masters for a moment.

With this small and personal book, Koens confirms her talent as a writer.

Grandpas in children’s books are usually sweet little old men who enjoy having philosophical chats with their grandchildren. Nine-year-old Sam’s grandpa is a very different kind of grandfather, and that’s a real breath of fresh air.

Sammie and Grandpa

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