World English Rights acquired for TIMELESS NORDIC RITUALS

We are delighted to announce that an imprint of Schiffer Publishing, REDFeather Mind Body Spirit, has acquired the World English Rights for TIMELESS NORDIC RITUALS: Bringing Purpose and Joy to Modern Life.

REDFeather Mind, Body, Spirit was founded in 2017 as an imprint of Schiffer Publishing. It grew from the tradition that Schiffer established over the previous decades (50 years) of creating high-quality, unique books and decks on a wide range of categories related to personal transformation, understanding, and empowerment.

Crystal Mannara, the imprint’s director, expressed her enthusiasm for the acquisition:

REDFeather Mind Body Spirit (Schiffer Publishing) is thrilled to welcome Timeless Nordic Rituals and the Nordic Forest Rituals Oracle Cards to our upcoming seasons. We greatly appreciate the meticulous thought, research and insight that Reetta has poured into both of these fantastic projects. The artwork on the Oracle is absolutely captivating and transports the reader into the mystic forest of Finnish folklore. These titles are the perfect resource for readers interested in connecting spiritually with the rich lore and traditions of the Nordic region, and we greatly look forward to working with Reetta on making them available to a wider audience.

The publisher will bring out in parallel with the book Reetta’s Nordic Ritual cards, which bring Nordic nature and timeless rituals to life in a playful way. This card deck of 49 beautiful cards can be acquired separately.

Already sold to German, to Goldmann Verlag, we truly believe that this topic has global appeal. Goldmann will publish the book in May 2025 as Die Magie nordischer Rituale: Mit finnischen Mythen und Bräuchen Kraft und Halt im Alltag finden.

Published originally in 2023 by SKS Kirjat (The Publishing House of The Finnish Literature Society), TIMELESS NORDIC RITUALS combines ancient wisdom of the Finno-Ugric people with Reetta’s passion for storytelling.

Publication info: 

Rituaalikirja – Etsijän opas
SKS Kirjat, 2023, 348

READING MATERIALS
Full English translation, Finnish edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
GERMANY: Goldmann
WORLD ENGLISH: Schiffer Publishing

Rights are still available in the Sweden, France, Estonia, Poland…

About author


Reetta Ranta

Reetta Ranta is a Finnish storyteller, author, media entrepreneur, and coach whose work bridges the wisdom of ancient traditions with modern storytelling. Reetta is best known in Finland as the co-host, writer, and producer of the acclaimed TV series Metsien Kätkemä (Back to Nature Finland, backtonature.tv), which has been sold to multiple countries across Europe, Asia, and North America. She has published non-fiction books, including Rituaalikirja – Timeless Nordic Rituals (SKS Kirjat, 2023), which explores the deep-rooted traditions of Nordic rituals. Her upcoming book, Sacred Trees (SKS Kirjat), set for release in spring 2025, delves into the spiritual and cultural significance of trees in Finnish heritage.

As the founder and leader of the family company Power Animals United, Reetta produces groundbreaking content that blends nature, mythology, science, and storytelling. She holds a Master’s degree from Aalto University and has over 25 years of experience in the media industry. Reetta has held leadership positions in various media organizations such as Reality Crisis, Rabbit Films, Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle, and Gutsy Animations. Additionally, she serves on the board of Women in Film and Television Finland (WIFT Finland), advocating for gender equality in the audiovisual sector.

Together with her sister, Reetta has also created the Nordic Forest Rituals Oracle Deck, a beautifully designed deck inspired by Finnish nature, mythology, and ancient wisdom, designed to help users connect with the rhythms of the natural world.

Raised in a world of folklore and storytelling, Reetta and her sisters grew up in Eastern Finland listening to tales of nature spirits, small creatures, and gnomes in the Finnish forests, a magical realm brought to life by their artistic father. Their mother, on the other hand, instilled in them a love for languages, literature, and the power of broadening one’s worldview through intercultural connections and learning. This rich heritage continues to inspire Reetta’s creative work, shaping stories and products deeply rooted in Finnish mythology, nature, and folklore.

Reetta is a mother of three and lives with her sons and American husband in a century-old house in the historic ironworks village of Fiskars, Finland. The beautiful nature provides inspiration for her and serves as a sanctuary amidst her busy work life. She shares her home with a dog, two cats, and a thriving colony of 70,000 honeybees, while often witnessing a freely roaming herd of deer and a variety of bird species in the yard. This profound connection to nature continuously inspires her storytelling.

Bibliography


2023, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Timeless Nordic Rituals: Bringing Purpose and Joy to Modern Life

Reetta Ranta


2022, Personal Growth & Lifestyle

Back to Nature Finland: Explore Nature, Myths, and Ancient Wisdom

Reetta Ranta

Award news for Tommi Kinnunen’s award-winning and bestselling Pine Bark!

We are thrilled to let you know that Tommi Kinnunen’s latest novel Pine Bark, which has sold more than 60,000 copies in Finland in just eight months and won the Readers’ Favorite of the Finlandia Prize of 2024, has just received the Adlibris Prize of 2024!

The Adlibris Prize is awarded by Adlibris, the biggest online bookstore in the Nordic Countries. The nominees for the prize are selected by a jury and the winner is selected based on the readers’ votes.

Tommi Kinnunen’s Pine Bark is a densely atmospheric story about women’s war, about the difiiculty of letting go, and about how the closeness of death changes a person. It dives deep into complex interpersonal relationships, into big emotions, and is utterly convincing with its arresting storytelling.
– Adlibris Prize jury motivation

Pine Bark is also one of the nominees for the Lapland Literature Prize! The Lapland Literature Prize, established in 2017, is awarded by the public libraries of Lapland either to an outstanding novel depicting Lapland or a Finnish novel written by an author hailing from Lapland. The award sum is 3,000 € and the Lapland Literature Prize of 2025 will be announced on March 19th, the national library day.

Download materials for PINE BARK here!

Pine Bark

Tommi Kinnunen

A densely atmospheric and arrestingly written novel about women’s fates in times of war, the difficulty of giving up, and how the proximity of death can change a person 

A person cannot return to being who they once were without knowing who they have been.

In 2001, three siblings – Martti and twin sisters Eeva and Marja – meet in a small village in Northern Finland. Their mother Laina, an old woman who has been through the Second World War, is dying and the children have gathered to arrange the funeral. Even though the siblings have always been on good terms, Martti has always felt aloof, the odd man out. All of them reminisce about their childhood, but Martti remembers things slightly differently than the sisters.

As the novel progresses, the readers are transported through the decades and through Laina’s story, culminating in the Soviet partisan attack during the summer of 1944 that irrevocably changed Laina’s life. She has refused to recall the events and, at the same time, has denied her children the opportunity of remembering and recovering. “One can only talk about men’s war, as the women’s war is soundless and forbidden.”

As his mother’s death grows nearer, Martti reaches out to connect with his siblings and attempts to fill in the gaps in the story, but is it already too late?

PINE BARK
KAARNA
WSOY, 2024, 205 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis
German sample

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
ESTONIA: Varrak
JAPAN: Shinchosha

About author


Tommi Kinnunen

Tommi Kinnunen (1973) was born in Kuusamo in northeastern Finland and currently lives in Turku, where he works as a teacher of Finnish language and literature. His works include novels, opera librettos, short stories, and a non-fiction title on the changes taking place in the Finnish school system.

Kinnunen’s novels give a voice to those whose stories have been kept untold. He made a stellar debut with Where Four Roads Meet (orig. Neljäntienristeys) which was nominated for the Finlandia Prize and won the Young Aleksis Prize in 2015. The following novels The Light Behind the Eyes (orig. Lopotti), The Glass River (orig. Pintti), and Defiance (orig. Ei kertonut katuvansa) have been both critical and commercial successes. His books have been translated into 20 languages.

During his spare time, Kinnunen likes to refurbish old buildings.

Bibliography


2024, Literary Fiction

Pine Bark

Tommi Kinnunen


2022, Literary Fiction

Dark Moons

Tommi Kinnunen


2020, Literary Fiction

Defiance

Tommi Kinnunen


2018, Literary Fiction

The Glass River

Tommi Kinnunen


2016, Literary Fiction

The Light Behind the Eyes

Tommi Kinnunen


2014, Literary Fiction

Where Four Roads Meet

Tommi Kinnunen

Blood of Angels by Johanna Sinisalo sold to Hungary!

We are happy to let you know that the Hungarian rights for Johanna Sinisalo‘s novel Blood of Angels have been acquired by Tuan Publishing! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Originally published in Finland in 2011, Blood of Angels is a arrestingly timely exploration of what will happen when bees, one of the chief pollinators of many of the crops and plants that we use for food suddenly disappear. The story centers on Orvo, an undertaker and a passionate beekeeper, who finds out that his bees have disappeared. At the same time, he also finds out that his son Eero has secretly been an animal rights activist, setting up a conflict between generations and different ways of life.

Blood of Angels has been sold to 8 territories!
Rights are available in, e.g., Germany, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Japan…

Download materials for BLOOD OF ANGELS here!

Blood of Angels

Johanna Sinisalo

“The queen is dead. The bees are gone. Thus, the world is about to end. But if you follow the bees, there are doors in the air. And a desperate man is ready to go through one.”

Albert Einstein is claimed to have said that if bees disappear from the earth, mankind has four years left to live. When mass bee-vanishings of unprecedented scope and devastation hit the United States, Orvo, a beekeeper, knows all too well where it will lead. And one day, when Orvo goes to check on his hives, he is forced to witness something he wishes he had never lived to see. The queen is dead. The epidemic has spread to Europe. The world is coming to an end.

The light of Orvo’s life is his son, Eero, whose secret animal activist existence Orvo discovers far too late. Eero’s activities as a defender of animal rights and an ardent opponent of Orvo’s inherited way of life propel the family into irreversible, gutwrenching conflict. Orvo takes a desperate step onto a path where only he and the bees know the way… This novel is a magical plunge into the myth of death and immortality, a tale of human blindness in the face of overwhelming choices and inevitabilities.

BLOOD OF ANGELS
ENKELTEN VERTA
Teos, 2011, 275 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
BULGARIA: Perseus Publishing House
CROATIA: Naklada Ljevak
DENMARK: Jensen & Dalgaard
FRANCE: Actes Sud
HUNGARY: Tuan Publishing Company
POLAND: Foksal Publishing Group
UNITED KINGDOM: Peter Owen Limited

About author


Johanna Sinisalo

Johanna Sinisalo (b. 1958) is a Finlandia Prize-winning superstar of Finnish speculative fiction. In addition to her nine novels, she has also written short fiction and film and television screenplays. Her works have been translated into twenty languages.

Sinisalo has won several literary prizes also abroad, such as the 2004 James Tiptree, Jr. Award and the 2017 Prometheus Award, and was nominated for the Nebula Award in 2008, the Prix Escapades in 2012, and the Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire in 2017. In 2022, Johanna Sinisalo was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal for services to Finnish literature.

Bibliography


2021, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Storm Flute

Johanna Sinisalo


2020, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Strangers Inside

Johanna Sinisalo


2018, Fantasy & Science Fiction

IRON SKY: RENATE'S STORY

Johanna Sinisalo


2013, Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Core of The Sun

Johanna Sinisalo


2011, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Blood of Angels

Johanna Sinisalo


2010, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

The Möbius Twist

Johanna Sinisalo


2008, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Birdbrain

Johanna Sinisalo


2000, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Troll

Johanna Sinisalo

THE SECRET ONES sold to Poland

We are happy to report that the Polish rights for the stunning picture book THE SECRET ONES by Tuutikki Tolonen and illustrated by Anne Vasko have been acquired by publishing house Widnokrag in a deal closed by Martti Berner.

Established in 2011, Widnokrag is a Polish children’s and YA publisher and their international authors include Andrew Norriss, Katherine Marsh, Anton Bergman, Emma Adbåge, Mette Vedsø, Evelyne Brisou-Pellen, Maiwenn Alix, Magdalena Hai, Teemu Juhani, Timo Parvela, Bjørn Sortland, Pasi Pitkänen, and Anne Vasko.

THE SECRET ONES is a picture book encouraging children’s creativity and inviting them to see their home with new eyes. And we have a full English pdf for you to read!

Request the English materials for THE SECRET ONES here!

SALAISET
WSOY, March 2024, 40 pp

Reading material:
Full English translation, Finnish edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CZECHIA: Portál
POLAND: Widnokrag

About author


Anne Vasko

Anne Vasko is an internationally known Finnish children's author and illustrator who has created visual worlds for numerous children's books, both her own and written by others. She is the recipient of the Rudolf Koivu illustration award 2011 and has been nominated for the Finlandia Junior, and also for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2017 and 2021. Vasko graduated with a master's degree in art from the Aalto Arts Helsinki.

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."

THE SECRET STAIRCASE sold to Czechia

We are happy to report that Czech rights to for THE SECRET STAIRCASE by Salla Simukka and illustrator JP Ahonen have been acquired by Portál! This deal was closed by Martti Berner.

Portál was founded in 1990 and belongs among the 20 largest publishing houses in the Czech Republic. Portál publish books by Anja Portin, Suzanne Lang, Hervé Tullet and many more and they are the Czech publisher of Tuutikki Tolonen’s Monster Nanny and Agnes series.

Salla Simukka is the multiple award-winning, internationally bestselling author of the Snow White trilogy, sold in 53 countries and Hollywood. JP Ahonen is a comic book artist and the illustrator of the cult classic Belzebubs project. THE SECRET STAIRCASE was nominated for 2024 Finlandia Award in Children’s & Youth literature.

The jury praised the title:

In this tantalisingly evocative fantasy, the text and vivid illustrations merge into a fine, polished whole. The story is about solving mysteries, making great friends and adapting to huge changes, whether it’s family or the vastness of dimensional boundaries. The narrative is engaging and the illustrations add delicious detail with a lightness of touch that encourages the novice reader to move forward.

And just recently the book won 2024 Kuopus Award by Blogistanian as the best Children’s book.  The Blogistanian Literary Awards are prizes given by Finnish book influencers on social media for the best books of the year.

You can watch the book trailer below:

For fans of Michael Ende and Maria Gripe, THE SECRET STAIRCASE is an exciting and touching novel about two boys, who live in the same house but in different realities. Can their friendship cross the border separating two worlds?

10-year-old Alexis’ family moves to a house where he gets the attic room. Another 10-year-old-boy, Max, moves to a house, where a great basement room is waiting for him. Soon the boys notice something weird in their houses: Alexis hears voices under the floor, even though they don’t have a basement. Max’s ears pick up someone playing an instrument from the attic, even though no one is there.

When the two boys finally meet, they realize that they can visit each other’s worlds at night time. But will their friendship endanger everything when the worlds start to blur into each other?

Rights still available in the US/UK, France, Germany, Holland…

Click here to download all reading materials for THE SECRET STAIRCASE!

Publication Info:
Poika ullakolla, poika kellarissa, Tammi 2024, 200 pp, b&w illustrations

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
CZECHIA: Portál
ESTONIA: Ühinenud Ajakirjad

Reading Material:
English sample & synopsis, Finnish edition

About author


JP Ahonen

JP Ahonen (1981) is a comic book artist, illustrator, and the author of several newspaper strips in his native Finland. He is best known for his graphic novel SING NO EVIL and the critically acclaimed strip series BELZEBUBS, which has evolved from a humble webcomic into a unique cross-media project, interweaving comics, music and animation.

About author


Salla Simukka

Salla Simukka is the author of the international success story The Snow White Trilogy: rights are sold in 53 territories and in Hollywood. She has written several novels for young readers and her accolades include the Topelius Prize 2013 and the Finland Prize 2013. Simukka has been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award  every year 2021–2024. Where It All Begins, published in 2022, is her first novel for adults and in 2024 she started a collaboration with JP Ahonen on a middle grade novel.

Previously Simukka has written book reviews for the newspapers, translated all kinds of texts into Finnish, worked as an editor at a literary magazine and as a screenwriter for a popular TV show for young audiences.  She has also been working on the programme of Turku Book Fair in 2017–2020.

MILO by Max Seeck published in France!

We are so excited about the French publication of Milo, Échec et Mat, by our internationally bestselling author Max Seeck at Méra éditions! Milo is out as an e-book already and the physical book will be published February 14th! Milo has also been sold to Bastei Lübbe in Germany and Kodansha in Japan and many more. The German edition, BLINDSPIEL, will be published in June 2025.

Download the materials for Milo here!

Milo

✓ FINLAND’S NO. 1 BESTSELLER! Total sales 45,000 copies! 

✓ Solar Films will adapt Milo to an international TV series for global distribution, with development starting in 2024 and a planned release in 2026!

✓ Rights to Milo have been sold to Bastei Lübbe in Germany, Aschehoug in Norway, Mera Éditions in France, Latvijas Medijii in Latvia, Piemme/Mondadori in Italy, Pegasus in Estonia!

✓ Max Seeck won the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for The Last Grudge!

✓ Max Seeck’s books have sold over 400,000 copies in Finland! Big Hollywood news coming!

The game has only just begun.

On a cold November evening, a body is discovered on the shore of Seurasaari. The victim’s skin is covered with a thick layer of white paint, and during the autopsy, a chess piece is found lodged in its throat.

The police are baffled. Why would the murderer go to such lengths to disguise the body? And why wasn’t there any attempt to hide it?

Milo Perho, an art gallery owner specializing in profiling killers, is called in to assist. What follows is a nerve-wracking game where every move costs a life, and no one wants it to end in checkmate.

MILO is the gripping debut of the Milo series by internationally acclaimed author Max Seeck. Even before its release, the book’s translation rights were sold to numerous countries, and a TV series adaptation is already in the works.

“We are very honored to introduce the highly popular Max Seeck from Finland to Japan. Nordic mysteries is one of the most popular genre of crime fictions among Japanese readers, and we are very much looking forward to their reactions!”

— Yutaro Ichikawa, Editor at Kodansha, Japan

MILO
Merkitty – Tammi 2024 – 400 p.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FILM & TV: Solar Films
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Luebbe
ITALY: Piemme
JAPAN: Kodansha Ltd.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug

Reading Materials:
50 p. English sample + long synopsis, Finnish edition, synopsis of book 2

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Big Hollywood film & TV news coming soon!

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! 2024 will see the release of his independent novel MILO, which is already creating buzz internationally with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Three new Children’s deals to Denmark!

We are thrilled to announce three new deals to Denmark for our children’s authors!

The Danish publishing house Bogoo acquired the Danish rights for DAD MAN AND THE EVIL LITTLE BROTHER, the second title in the bestselling DAD MAN middle grade series by Arttu Unkari and Kai Vaalio. This series is a huge bestseller in Finland, with over 200,000 copies sold! The German rights have been sold in a two-book deal to Mixtvision, who will publish both of the books in February

Bogoo also acquired the Danish rights to BENJAMIN BATEMAN AND THE WORST DAY OF SCHOOL, the third volume in the BENJAMIN BATEMAN series by Hannele Lampela and Pasi Pitkänen. Fourth book in the series will be published this summer!

And that’s not all. In addition to these two titles, Bogoo also acquired the rights to the third title in PET AGENTS series by Sami & Riina Kaarla, PET AGENTS 3: CHARGING AHEAD. 

The deals were closed by Martti Berner.

Request materials for the DAD MAN series here!

Request materials for the BENJAMIN BATEMAN series here!

Request materials for the PET AGENTS series here!

 

The Dad Man series:
Arttu Unkari, illustrated by Kai Vaalio

#1 Dad Man and the Exploding Poop
#2 Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother
#3 Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis
#4 Dad Man and the Impossible Time Warp
#5 Dad Man and the Doppelgänger Disaster

The quirkiest cop in town! The Dad Man Series offers fast-paced adventures and humour for all ages – especially lower middle grade.

  over 200,000 copies sold in Finland!

  German and Danish rights sold! (Books 1-2)

  For fans of David Walliams and Captain Underpants

  A perfect “Gateway series to literature” for reluctant readers

  Books in the series have been nominated for the Storytel awards 2020, 2021, and 2022 (Best children’s audiobook), Best Newcomer of the Year 2020, and the Runeberg Prize 2023!

  Bold and fresh 4-colour comic-book style artwork that add visual jokes to the narration

  5 books available and more to come, work as standalones and can be read in any order!

Dad Man is a dad, and a policeman – but he also has a superpower! Too bad his superpower is one shared by almost all dads – an unwavering belief in himself and his own abilities. Dad Man truly believes he knows everything and can do anything, but as it goes with most dads, the reality is quite different. And it follows that Dad Man’s nine-year-old daughter Oona needs to solve all of the issues herself.

The Benjamin Bateman series:
Hannele Lampela, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen

#1 Benjamin Bateman – Super Embarrassed Superhero
#2 Benjamin Bateman and The Curse of the Mind-popping Pranks
#3 Benjamin Bateman and The Worst Day of School

What if your superhero costume looked like a butterfly and your only superpowers would be having a good heart and a lively imagination? Welcome to the embarrassing life of Benjamin Bateman!

3 books available and more to come, fourth to be published in summer 2025!

 Film in development!

  Nominee for the Arvid Lydecken Award 2023

  Rights sold to Denmark!

The wholly hilarious and thrilling adventures of a super embarrassing superhero for middle-graders!

Benjamin Bateman is stunned when he finds out that he is part of a family of superheroes. Who would’ve believed that about poor Benjamin?

Benjamin’s superhero costume is quite embarrassing though – a butterfly. And his superpower is even more mortifying – having a good heart and great imagination! But when Benjamin must battle the terrifying Mortem, his imagination will come in handy.

 

PET AGENTS series:
Riina Kaarla, Sami Kaarla & Anders Vacklin

KATI-E is an independent girl who loves animals just as much as electronics and coding. TI-BOT is the flying robot Kati-e built. Together they are the PET AGENTS, and their mission is to solve pet problems!

✓ A delightfully illustrated series for robot fans and animal lovers alike!
Over 60,000 copies sold in Finland
✓ Series already sold in 8 territories!
✓ 10 books published, and more to come!

The Pet Agents series is a delightful series about friendship and pet care, filled with adventures. Each book – which can be read in any order – features new characters, locations, and pets from miniature pigs to virtual dinosaurs. Engaging, full of humour, and dealing with animal issues in a child friendly way, the series has charmed readers in Finland and internationally.

Available titles:
#1: New Pets & New Friends!
#2: Tracking a Thief
#3: Charging Ahead
#4: Lost in the Game
#5: In Deep Water
#6: Snowed In
#7: Wild City
#8: Mission on the Moon
#9: Masters of the Jungle
#10: The Hobby Horse Whisperer

PRAISE:

Children’s books about animals often train their readers to treat animals with respect. In the Pet Agents series, children interested in pets and other domestic animals also learn about their care and behaviour. The strength of the Pet Agents series lies in (…) its event-rich storytelling and abundant, colourful illustrations. The children in the series are active, energetic and have a wide network of friends.
– Lastenkirjahylly blog, Finland

Publication info the DAD MAN series: 

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.), DENMARK: Bogoo (books 1-2), GERMANY: Mixtvision (books 1-2)

Reading Material:
English synopses, Series presentation, Finnish pdf

Publication info the BENJAMIN BATEMAN series: 

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.), DENMARK: Bogoo (books 1-3)

Reading Material:
English synopses (books 1-3), English sample (book 1), Finnish editions

Publication info the PET AGENTS series: 

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
CZECHIA: Grada (books 1-4, 6)
DENMARK: Bogoo (books 1-3)
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat (books 1-2, 4)
POLAND: Media Rodzina (books 1-4, 6)
RUSSIA: Eksmo (books 1-4, 6)
SLOVAKIA: IKAR (books 1-2, 4)
UKRAINE: Ridna Mova (books 1-2, 4)

Reading Material:
English synopses, Series presentation, Finnish text

About author


Arttu Unkari

Arttu Unkari is a teacher from Helsinki and a Master of Education (University of Helsinki, 2015) who majored in ethics and philosophy.  He combines his educational background and experience as a teacher in his books – his stories are anarchist and zany, but at the same time the humour often revolves around profound and intriguing concepts such as honesty, obedience, and morality in ways that speak to children in their own language. His books are enjoyed by adults as well because they contain layers that open up differently to readers of all ages. This is one of the reasons Dad Man is such a great series for the whole family.

As an author Unkari is a Runeberg prize nominee 2023 for the third instalment of the Dadman series: Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis (Isämies ja hyytävä hypnoosi, Otava 2022). The Runeberg Prize is a literary prize awarded by the newspaper Uusimaa, the City of Porvoo, the Finnish Writers' Union, the Finnish Critics' Association and the Finland’s-Swedish Writer’s Association. The prize was established in 1986 and it is awarded annually in Porvoo on 5th February, the day when Finland celebrates their national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg.  All of his previous books (Dad Man and the Exploding poop, Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother,  Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis and Dad Man and the Impossible Time Warp) have been nominated for best children’s audiobook in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Finnish Storytel awards. He’s also participated in making a Finnish language schoolbook (Loikka 3, Otava 2022).

Unkari is a sought after inspirational speaker in his home country. He’s visited schools all over Finland advocating for the importance of reading.

About author


Hannele Lampela

Hannele Lampela's lovable works have been praised above all for their rich humor and ability to truly show the world from a child's perspective. She has the ability to enchant her readers, and that is why both children and adults love her stories. Lampela's works have been dramatized for example by the Finnish National Theater, Kuopio City Theater and YLE's radio plays. She has been awarded the prestigious Kaarina Helakisa Prize for her work and she has been nominated for Runeberg Junior award in 2019 and for Storytel Award, and Arvid Lydecken Award four times, most recently in 2023.

In addition to her fictional works, Lampela has written and created  a world of stories for the next national ABC book of Finnish schools. First graders across the country will learn to read through Hannele’s texts. Lampela lives in a small wooden house in the middle of apple trees with her family, and spends her days not only writing, but also pampering herself and others on a regular basis.

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Kai Vaalio

Kai Vaalio (b. 1986) is an illustrator, comic artist, and a bit of a cosmopolitan as well. He’s written and illustrated underground comic books for adults about his travels in South-East Asia and Latin America — the latter won Mondo magazine’s Travel book of the year award back in 2014. Recently he’s ventured into the world of illustrating children’s books mainly with Arttu Unkari’s Dad Man Series. Together they’ve made several books about this goofy detective and his clever little posse. The Dad Man Series has received Storytel Awards and Runeberg Junior 2023 award nominations. Vaalio’s been on and off in the graphic industry since 2005 when he graduated as a graphic designer from Lahti College of Arts and Crafts. In 2018 he got his bachelor’s degree from Lahti University of Applied Science.

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.