# The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren

3 Hacker News commenters recommended The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a children's novel that kids adore and that some readers find moving on death. Critics object that it presents suicide as a way to reach the afterlife.

## Why people recommend it

- Kids adore it (1 comments): "My kids absolutely adored Brothers Lionheart." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49640227))
- Makes readers appreciate death's finality (1 comments): "as an adult, this book makes me appreciate the finality of death" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49644215))
- Re-read again and again (1 comments): "I've literally re-read it this year again and I couldn't disagree more" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49640092))
- Considered a better story (1 comments): "Personally I consider The Brothers Lionheart to be a better story" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48059459))

## What people warn about

- Presents suicide as harmless (2 comments): "the book says basically - no biggie, there is no death, you commit suicide to move to another level to be with your brother" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49640374)) "which is glorifying suicide and should be really banned for kids under 15" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49639354))
- Wrong lesson for young children (2 comments): "That's really F up thing to teach small kids, who should know death is permanent." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49640952)) "which is glorifying suicide and should be really banned for kids under 15" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49639354))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Computer Engineering for Babies by Hacky Labs](https://hackerapproved.com/p/computer-engineering-for-babies.md): 15 recommend
- [The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis](https://hackerapproved.com/p/chronicles-of-narnia.md): 8 recommend
- [Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pinocchio.md): 6 recommend
- [The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame](https://hackerapproved.com/p/wind-in-the-willows.md): 5 recommend
- [Redwall by Brian Jacques](https://hackerapproved.com/p/redwall.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0192729047?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780192729040) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren", https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-lionheart/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).