As we get older, we’re generally expected to be more mature and to “grow up”. But, who said that growing up has to be boring? Aging doesn’t mean an end to things. There is still time for adventures. So, the following titles are all books that celebrate old age with rambunctious characters who refuse to let the years slow them down, proving once and for all that you’re only as old as you feel.
The Little Old Lady Who Broke all the Rules is Martha Andersson, a seventy-nine-year-old who dreams of robbing a bank. So, when the feisty septuagenarian gets fed up with cut corners at the retirement home where she lives, she teams up with her best friends, “The League of Pensioners” to regain their independence and earn some money–by robbing a luxury hotel (which then turns into a heist at the local museum). Pursued by the police and the mafia, these plucky seniors must say one walker’s length ahead in order to survive.
If you liked this book, consider checking out the next in the series, The Little Old Lady Who Struck Lucky Again.
It’s Allan Karlsson’s 100th birthday and he’s sitting around waiting for the party that he never actually wanted. The mayor is going to be there, and so is the press, but Allan decides he won’t be. So, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared does just that–climbs out his bedroom window and pads away through the flower garden in search of adventure. And what an adventure it is! Criminals, murder, a suitcase full of cash…Allan will see it all before his trip is over. And we’ll learn quite a bit about Allan’s younger years, as well.
If you liked this book, consider checking out the sequel: The Accidental Further Adventures of the 100-Year-Old Man.
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen 83 1/4 Years Old starts off with a very dissatisfied writer. Hendrik is bored out of his mind at the retirement home where he lives. So, he decides the only way to make it through the dullness is to create a little fun. He starts a series of playful antics, stirring up trouble for the building’s humorless director, while turning himself and the other members of the Old-But-Not-Dead Club into unlikely heroes. When a sassy widow moves in next door, Hendrik decides to take a leap of faith and make the most of the time he has left.
If you enjoyed this book, consider checking out the sequel, On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 Years Old.
