New deals for Monster Nanny in Portugal and Czech Republic – rights sold in 24 territories

We are thrilled to announce our pre-Bologna news about Monster Nanny – now sold to 24 territories! Editoras Asa/Leya was happy to acquire Portuguese rights to this bestselling middle-grade adventure by Tuutikki Tolonen and Pasi Pitkänen.

“A fantastic and exhilarating story, full of that kind of craziness that I’m sure will appeal to all kinds of readers!”
–Vítor Silva Mota, Editor, Literatura Infantojuvenil e BD, Edições ASA e Texto Editores

More good news come from Czech Republic, where Tuutikki’s publisher Portál acquired rights to the sequel; Monster Route.

If you haven’t bought the rights to this international bestseller (or books 2 or 3) – hurry up! The Hollywood feature film based on Monster Nanny is being developed by Scott Free Productions!

BOOK 1: MONSTER NANNY
What happens when three ordinary kids get a troll-like monster nanny for the summer?

BOOK 2: MONSTER ROUTE
Monsters’ underground world is full of wonders… and dangers not suitable for human kids.

BOOK 3: MONSTER MESSAGE
Hellman kids face new troubles. Mom and Dad want to move into a bigger home on the other side of the city. Mimi’s talking bathrobe feels strangely shrunk, and drops hints of leaving. Monstrologist Runar Kalli is starting to act his age without his rejuvenating root potion – and he’s 122. Something must be done. When Mimi finds crumpled leaves with strange markings in her room, they look like messages from underground, but who’s delivering them and why? And why does the Gatekeeper of the underground world appear in their bathroom?

Rights Sold:

FINLAND, Tammi (Original publisher)
BOSNIA, Šahinpašic
BRAZIL, DarkSide Books
CHINA, Beijing Children’s Publishing House
CZECH REPUBLIC, Portál
ESTONIA, Tiritamm
FRANCE, Robert Laffont
GERMANY, Carl Hanser Verlag
HUNGARY, Tessloff Babilon
ITALY, Salani/Mauri Spagnol
LATVIA, Zvaigzne
THE NETHERLANDS, Luitingh-Sijthoff
NORWAY, Gyldendal Norsk
POLAND, Vesper
PORTUGAL, Edições ASA/Leya
ROMANIA, Editura Univers
RUSSIA, Rosman
SLOVENIA, Mladinska knjiga
SPAIN (Spanish), La Galera
SPAIN (Catalan), La Galera
SWEDEN, Rabén & Sjögren
TURKEY, SEV Redhouse Kidz
VIETNAM, Nha Nam
UNITED STATES, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Book 1)

FILM RIGHTS, Scott Free Productions

About author


Pasi Pitkänen

Pasi Pitkänen has become known for his richly detailed illustrative work on several children’s books such as the extremely popular Monster Nanny trilogy by Tuutikki Tolonen. He has also worked at Rovio Entertainment as an illustrator, character designer, and graphic designer. Pitkänen is the illustrator of the popular Kepler62 series and the author of two Children's titles Monster Tournament and The Island of Lost Animals.

Among Pitkänen’s hobbies are quantum physics, people-watching, B-movies, insects and baking.

About author


Tuutikki Tolonen

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, a Finnish literary magazine for children. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award.  Her inspiration for the Monster Nanny trilogy sparked during a family breakfast. “My son Leo, then six, said: ‘I heard on the radio yesterday that all moms have to go on vacation and monsters will take their places,” she says.

Her other bestselling series is the Agnes-series, of which the first book "Agnes and the Garden of Dreams" was in 2021 nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award, received an honorable mention for the Runeberg Junior Award, and won the Luku Varkaus Award. Tolonen tells that the inspiration for Agnes comes for her interest for weird and inexpicable tales, ghost stories and mysteries: "I wanted to write a book my daughter Aili, then nine, would like to read - not too long, not too scary, but very curious."