Nærbuxnaverksmiðjan facts for kids

Nærbuxnaverksmiðjan ('The Underpants Factory') is an exciting children's novel written by Arndís Þórarinsdóttir. It was first published in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 2018 by the publisher Mál og menning. This book takes young readers on a fun adventure inside an old factory.

About the Book

The novel is a short story with ten chapters. Each chapter has a cool full-page drawing by Sigmundur Breiðfjörð Þorgeirsson. You'll also find smaller pictures of many different, sometimes very strange, kinds of underpants throughout the book!

Each chapter starts with a fun subheading. These often play with well-known Icelandic sayings. For example, one might say 'a trouserless person is blind,' which is a funny twist on an old proverb.

What's the Story About?

The main characters in the story are Gutti and Ólína. Gutti is the most hardworking kid in his school. Ólína, on the other hand, is known for being a bit of a troublemaker.

The story begins when Gutti finds out that the underpants factory near his home has been shut down. This factory is a big part of his neighborhood. Gutti's grandmother works there, so he goes to her house after school. He expects to find her, but she isn't there.

Then, Ólína shows up and finds Gutti. She convinces him that they should go explore the closed factory. They want to find out what happened and maybe even find Gutti's grandmother.

Exploring the Factory

Gutti and Ólína sneak into the factory through an open window. Inside, they discover many forgotten parts of the huge building. Their adventure leads them to some surprising discoveries:

• They find a large group of rabbits living in a fabric storage room.
• They meet a broken robot named BlúnduRASS 3000.
• They stumble upon a group of teenagers who love that there's no phone signal inside.
• They also find some older people who are having a party! These retirees are hiding in the factory to avoid going to retirement homes.

These partying retirees help Gutti. They tell him where to find his missing grandmother. It turns out she has secretly been running the factory all by herself! Most of the human workers were replaced by machines. She was also secretly helping all the different people and animals living in the factory.

Saving the Factory

Gutti learns that his grandmother couldn't keep the factory going. It was hard to compete with the global underpants market. The factory is now going to be torn down!

Gutti quickly rushes out to talk to the demolition crew. He tries to convince them not to destroy the building. In the end, he stops their work by slashing the tires of one of their machines!

The story finishes by explaining what happens next. Gutti, his grandmother, and Ólína work together. They get official permission to turn the old factory into a special place. It becomes a heritage and cultural center called Rumpurinn. It's a place for everyone to enjoy and learn from.

Images for kids

• 

  First edition cover of Nærbuxnaverksmiðjan