Loukko by 
We are very excited to share the news that four Ahlbäck Agency titles have been nominated for the Young Aleksis Award in 2026!
Annukka Salama: THE MELTING POINT
Oliver and Niklas are hockey’s brightest prospects—and sworn enemies on junior national teams from Finland and Sweden. When the boys are forced onto the same team, a Finland–Sweden showdown begins like nothing the hockey world has ever seen.
Jenni Multisilta: DEAD GIRLS DON’T DANCE
Dead Girls Don’t Dance is the first part in a YA thriller series, @buriedpodies, that seeks to solve previously unsolved murders and the relationship tangles of modern high school students.
Ulla Onerva: COTTON CANDY DILEMMA
A witty feel-good novel about Emma, named after Jane Austen’s heroine, who defends romantic literature but is drawn to an insufferable hater of romance.
Salla Simukka: FOUR BIRTHDAYS AND A FUNERAL
Four Birthdays and a Funeral tells about longlasting friendships, ”it’s complicated” love affairs, secrets and sorrows that are kept hidden and what it really means to become an adult. And how a tight group of friends can remain close if one of them dies.
The Young Aleksis for Lower Secondary School is a literary prize awarded by the Finnish Association of Teachers of Finnish Language and Literature. In this competition, lower secondary school students select their favourites from Finnish fiction and non-fiction books for young people published during the previous year.
The aim of the award is to encourage young people to read and discuss literature, while also highlighting young people with a keen interest in books. Through their participation, the students also have an opportunity to influence how youth literature is promoted and brought to wider attention.
In 2025 Anne-Maija Aalto was chosen as the recipient of the award for her novel The Book of the Forgotten.
Congratulations to all of our wonderful authors!
THE MELTING POINT by Annukka Salama
Sulamispiste, WSOY 2025, 360 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FRANCE: Rageot Editeur
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NETHERLANDS: Uitgeverij Kluitman Alkmaar B.V.
SWEDEN: Bokförlaget Opal
UKRAINE: Publishing House “Ranok” Limited
WORLD SPANISH: VR Editoras
Reading materials:
English sample + full English draft translation, synopsis for books 1-2, Swedish edition
DEAD GIRLS DON’T DANCE by Jenni Multisilta
Kuolleet tytöt eivät tanssi, Myllylahti 2025, 222 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Myllylahti (orig.)
GERMANY: Ullstein
NETHERLANDS: De Fontein
Reading materials:
English sample book 1 + full English draft translation for books 1-2, synopsis for books 1-3
COTTON CANDY DILEMMA by Ulla Onerva
Hattaradilemma, Tammi 2025, 336 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
SWEDEN: Gyldendal Astra
UKRAINE: Publishing House “Ranok” Limited
Reading materials:
English sample + full English draft translation, chapter-by-chapter synopsis books 1-2
FOUR BIRTHDAYS AND A FUNERAL by Salla Simukka
Neljät syntymäpäivät ja yhdet hautajaiset, Tammi 2025, 243 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
Reading materials:
English sample + synopsis
