Sagan af bláa hnettinum

Á bláum hnetti lengst úti í geimnum búa ótal börn sem fullorðnast ekki. Þetta eru eiginlega villibörn því enginn skipar þeim fyrir verkum. Börnin sofna þar sem þau verða þreytt og borða þegar þau eru svöng en leika sér þar sem þeim dettur í hug. Eitt kvöldið þegar Brimir og Hulda eru stödd í Svörtufjöru birtist stjarna á himni sem stefnir beint á þau! Stjarnan lendir í fjörunni með mikilli sprengingu en í reyknum mótar fyrir skuggalegri veru sem starir út í myrkrið. Þá hefst hættulegt ævintýri sem leiðir börnin um myrka skóga, djúpa dali og loftin blá. Reynir þá sem aldrei fyrr á vináttu og ráðsnilld barnanna á bláa hnettinum.

Sagan af Bláa hnettinum er komin út á yfir 30 tungumálum. Leikritið sem byggir á bókinni var sýnt í Þjóðleikhúsinu árið 2001 við miklar vinsældir og var sett upp í Toronto vorið 2005, þar sem það var tilnefnt til fimm Dora verðlauna og sett upp aftur árið 2013. Það hefur einnig verið sett upp í Chicago, í Álaborg í Danmörku, Lahti og Vasa í Finnlandi, Maxim Gorky í Berlín, hjá Miniatura í Gdansk í Póllandi, Þjóðarbrúðuleikhúsi Búlgaríu, Borgarleikhúsinu í Luzerne í Sviss auk þess sem fjöldi áhugaleikhúsa um allan heim hefur sett upp verkið. Haustið 2016 var settur upp söngleikur um Bláa hnöttinn í leikgerð Bergs Þórs Ingólfssonar með tónlist Kristjönu Stefánsdóttur.

Viðurkenningar

• Íslensku bókmenntaverðlaunin 1999
• Heiðursverðlaun Janusz Korczak 2000
• Vestnorrænu Barnabókaverðlaunin 2002
• Green Earth Book Honor Award 2013, USA
• UKLA (UK Literacy Association) Book Award 2014
• Tilnefning til heiðursverðlauna IBBY 2001 fyrir myndlýsingar
• Tilnefning til Barnabókaverðlauna Reykjavíkurborgar
• Tilnefning til Norrænu barnabókaverðlaunanna 2000
• Tilnefning til fimm DORA Awards 2005,Toronto
• Tilnefning til Orbil Prize, Ítalíu 2023

“His sly, smart parable, first published in 1999, takes aim at the central dilemma of the developed world: is it ethical to be happy at the cost of others’ suffering? …  Dahl-like wit and a couple of eccentrically Arctic moments … make this a memorable and provocative tale, and a splendid opener for discussions about our own blue planet.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

★★★★★ „This poignant book with its exotic illustrations can be used across several educational landscapes. It might do well as supplemental or advanced independent reading, or it might even be used to open dialogue in social studies, citizenship, human rights, or ethics classes.“ — Rita Lorraine Hubbard, New York Journal of books / The Picture Book Depot

“A modern classic.”
— Bill Cox, Opening Doors

“Magnason’s beautifully illustrated and expertly translated book is charming, eccentric, moving, and humbling – often reminiscent of Roald Dahl or William Steig.”
— Karli Cude

“… the book, over all, is immensely satisfying — a major contribution to the sparsely populated eco-lit genre, and one that could entice other authors to contribute. Magnason’s story touchingly reminds us of the Dahlian principle that adults are “complicated creatures, full of quirks and secrets”; and that children “are the music makers . . . the dreamers of dreams.” And further — that these dreamers may also be our best hope of unsticking the sun from the sky, of making the rains fall normally again and of repairing a real-life planet damaged by grown-ups.”
— Amanda Little, The New York Times

“The Story of the Blue Planet is a fairytale of the best kind. The force of good is innocence and the force of evil the magical solutions that we accept so unquestioningly. … Aslaug Jonsdottir’s illustrations and book design are a spectacular addition to Andri Snær’s extraordinary text, and the total effect is incredible.”
— DV

“The Story of the Blue Planet is overall highly successful, excellently written and illustrated, and it will undoubtedly be found on many children’s bedside tables …”
— Dagur

“Incredibly entertaining – a real fairytale. … it reminds me of (Astrid Lindgren’s) The Lionheart Brothers – one of my favourite books.”
— Screen1 TV, Iceland

“The Story of the Blue Planet can be read on many levels: as pure fairytale, a contemplation on ethics, a fable or entertainment. … There is one word that encapsulates everything that this story is: genius.”
— Morgunblaðið

“ The Story of the Blue Planet is both real and unreal, simple and complex, serious and funny. Above all, Magnason has proved that social and moral criticism is far from obsolete: a children’s book can be provocative and funny, even outrageous, while (as a true fairy tale) inducing the child to contemplate moral values – which have been horrendously distorted by the media and contemporary mass culture.”
— Nordic Literature