Eva Apelqvist

Swede escape! Calista Swanson has begun her study abroad semester in Stockholm, Sweden, and she couldn’t be happier! There’s finally some distance between her and the constant piano-playing of her annoying sister Suzanne. Calista and Suzanne are twins, but the only thing they have in common is their birth date. Suzanne is a focused and gifted pianist, but a social dud. Calista isn’t at all focused, but she always has her friends, and a boyfriend, by her side. And that goes for her time in Sweden, as well. Jonas, who’d been an exchange student at her high school in Wisconsin, lives in Stockholm. He’s the main reason Calista is studying in Sweden, and she knows he’ll be in tow as she explores everything Sweden has to offer, from visiting Swedish castles to learning more about the Viking era, to sampling treats from a smorg?sbord, to strolling the cobblestone streets of Stockholm’s Gamla Stan. Calista loves Sweden from the moment she arrives, but . . . why hasn’t Jonas called?… (més)

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Sweden means two things for Calista: getting away from her annoyingly talented twin sister, and being reunited with her boyfriend.

But Sweden isn't at all what Cal expects. For one thing, she can't get a hold of her boyfriend. She's also living with a host family, taking all of her courses in Swedish, and needs to learn the language pronto!

As the semester unfolds, Cal begins to notice things about herself that she'd like to change when she gets back home, but for now she's content with soaking up both the language and the culture.

SWEDE DREAMS is part of the SASS series of high school students traveling around the world learning different cultures and languages. Cal realizes her true self on foreign soil and she's anxious to make a new beginning. Teens will love this series!… (més)