The German rights to DAD MAN AND THE HORRIBLE HYPNOSIS sold to Mixtvision

We are thrilled to announce that the bestselling DAD MAN series will continue in Germany! Mixtvision has acquired the rights to book 3 in the bestselling Dad Man series, Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis. The deal was closed by Martti Berner at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

This deal follows the successful launch of the first two books in February, Book 3 will hit shelves in Spring 2025.

Here’s what Lena Frenzel, publishing director from Mixtvision had to say:

Super-Dad took us and our readers by storm. We can’t wait for his third adventure to be published in German!

Meanwhile in Denmark, Bogoo will publish Book 2 (Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother) later this year.

Already a modern Finnish children’s classic with over 200,000 copies sold, the Dad Man series is fast-paced, visually bold, and hilarious – perfect for readers 7+. Book 3 was also nominated for the Runeberg Prize 2023!

“Imaginative humour… thrillingly expressive illustrations… instantly joyful.”

– Tähtivaeltaja magazine

The rights are still available in Norway, Poland, the Netherlands, US/UK and Spain.

Request materials for the DAD MAN 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
#6 Dad Man and the Mysterious Puppet Master

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!
  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

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.

Publication info the DAD MAN series: 

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.), DENMARK: Bogoo (books 1-2), GERMANY: Mixtvision (books 1-3)

Reading Material:
German editions (Books #1 & #2)
Danish edition (Book #1)
English sample (Book #4)
English synopses
Series presentation
Finnish editions

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


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.

Chinese rights renewed for MONSTER NANNY TRILOGY by Tuutikki Tolonen and Pasi Pitkänen!

We’re happy to let you know that Beijing Children and Juvenile Publishing House has renewed the Chinese rights for the MONSTER NANNY trilogy, the award-winning and internationally bestselling middle-grade title written by Tuutikki Tolonen and illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen! The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency in collaboration with Clare Chi at Grayhawk Agency.

In MONSTER NANNY, the three children of the Hellman family – Halley, Koby, and Mimi – are left at home to be taken care of by a nanny, but their nanny turns out to be, well, a monster named Grah who doesn’t talk and is mesmerized by the family’s TV. As other children in their neighborhood have been left in the care of similar monsters, the Hellman children try to find out more about the monsters and why they have appeared in human homes in the first place.

MONSTER NANNY trilogy has been an international success story: the rights to the trilogy have been sold to 37 countries and a feature film based on the series is in development by Scott Free Productions!

Download materials for MONSTER NANNY here!

Monster Nanny

Tuutikki Tolonen, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen

Mary Poppins meets Where the Wild Things Are in this prize-winning series.

The Hellman children must make do with a nanny while their mother is away at a spa. The only problem? Their nanny is a monster.

Grah is hairy, dusty, and doesn’t talk. When the siblings discover that other neighborhood kids have been left with similar creatures, they start to wonder where the monsters came from. With the parents away, the kids work together (between bickering) to figure out the mystery of the monsters.

Tolonen seamlessly intertwines contemporary life with a world full of strange creatures. Monster Nanny is at once a refreshing change of pace and a return to timeless adventure.

MONSTER NANNY
MÖRKÖVAHTI
Tammi, 2015, 303 pp.

MONSTER ROUTE
MÖRKÖREITTI
Tammi, 2016, 300 pp.

MONSTER MESSAGE
MÖRKÖVIESTI
Tammi, 2020, 300 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition (Book #1)
English sample and synopsis (Books #2 and #3)
German editions (Books #2 and #3)
French editions (Books #2 and #3)
Finnish editions (all books)

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
AUSTRALIA: Allen & Unwin
ALBANIA: Westprint
BOSNIA: Šahinpašić
BRAZIL: DarkSide Books
BULGARIA: Robertino
CHINA: Beijing Children’s Publishing House
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Portál
DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Tiritamm
FRANCE: Editions Robert Laffont
GERMANY: Carl Hanser Verlag
GREECE: Patakis
HUNGARY: Tessloff Babilon
ITALY: Salani/Mauri Spagnol
JAPAN: Sekaibunka
KOREA: Seosawon
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto
NETHERLANDS: (print) Luitingh-Sijthoff
NETHERLANDS: (audio) Saga Egmont
NEW ZEALAND: Allen & Unwin
NORWAY: Gyldendal Norsk
OCEANIA: Allen & Unwin
POLAND: Vesper
PORTUGAL: Asa Editiones/Leya
ROMANIA: Univers
RUSSIA: Rosman
SERBIA: Laguna
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SLOVENIA: Mladinska knjiga
SPAIN (Spanish): La Galera
SPAIN (Catalan): La Galera
SWEDEN: Rabén & Sjögren
TURKEY: SEV Redhouse Kidz
UKRAINE: School Publishing House
VIETNAM: Nha Nam
WORLD ENGLISH: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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."

Cerkabella acquires the Hungarian rights to Siri Kolu’s Twin World Series #1: Saving Atlantis!

We are very excited to tell you, that the Hungarian rights for Siri Kolu‘s middle-grade novel TWIN WORLD SERIES: SAVING ATLANTIS were acquired by Cerkabella in a deal closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Congratulations to Siri Kolu and Cerkabella!

The latest title by award-winning children’s and YA author Siri Kolu, Saving Atlantis introduces the readers to 12-year-old Elektra who starts to dream about a ringed city that is destroyed in a tsunami. As she and her friend Maxxam start looking into this mystery, they realize that Elektra is dreaming of Atlantis. At the same time, Elektra Elpida of Atlantis starts dreaming of a future filled with glass towers and flying planes. She also sees in the future hints of how to escape the impending destruction.

Published in Finland in April, Saving Atlantis is perfect reading for the fans of Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising Sequence and Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books.

This is the first foreign rights sale for Twin World Series: Saving Atlantis! Rights are available in all other territories!

Download materials for SAVING ATLANTIS here!

Twin World Series #1: Saving Atlantis

Siri Kolu

A myth-busting, suspense-filled series for a late middle grade and early YA audience.

Can Atlantis be saved before disaster strikes?

12-year-old El(ektra) starts sleepwalking and has recurring nightmares of masses of water under which there is no escape. After doing research with her friends Maxxam and Cal, El discovers that the underwater city in her nightmares is ancient Atlantis.

In the city of Atlantis, young Elektra has strange dreams at night about tall glass towers and flying planes. With inventor genius Dobro, Elektra begins to test whether the visions could be real. Based on the dreams, they build a submarine called a wave diver.

Can the Elektras help each other? Can they be rescued from under the waves…and what would it cost?

TWIN WORLD SERIES: SAVING ATLANTIS
ALLE AALLON
Tammi, 2025, 331 pp.

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis, Finnish edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), HUNGARY: Cerkabella

About author


Siri Kolu

Siri Kolu (born July 18, 1972) is a writer, performance dramaturg, director, and theater teacher. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts and Bachelor of Arts degree as Drama Instructor (BA). Prior to her theater studies, she pursued literature and theater studies at the University of Helsinki.

With her funny and original adventure Me and the Robberssons Kolu won the children’s novel and film script competition in the fall of 2009. The book was published in April 2010, and won the Finlandia Prize in Children’s & YA literature. The film adaptation hit theaters in the fall of 2014. Me and the Robberssons has been translated into over 20 languages.

Me and the Robbersons has also won the Silver Slate Pencil Award in the Netherlands and has been listed twice for the The English Pen Award. She has also been honored with the Laivakello Prize by the Finnish Institute for Children’s Literature, Topelius Prize and Kaarina Helakisa Literary Prize.

Bibliography


2025, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Twin World Series: Saving Atlantis

Siri Kolu

Hungarian rights sold to THE SECRET STAIRCASE by Salla Simukka and JP Ahonen!

We’re thrilled to announce that the Hungarian rights for The Secret Staircase, an award-nominated middle-grade novel written by Salla Simukka and illustrated by JP Ahonen, were acquired by Ciceró Könyvstúdió! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe and Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

A grounded fantasy novel with a classic feel, The Secret Staircase is the first collaboration of award-winning and internationally bestselling novelist Salla Simukka, known for her Snow White trilogy, and illustrator JP Ahonen, known for his Belzebubs project. The Secret Staircase was nominated for the 2024 Finlandia Prize for Children’s and YA Literature and won the 2024 Kuopus Prize for best children’s novel!

With this latest sale, The Secret Staircase has now been sold to 4 territories!
Rights are available in, e.g., Germany, Denmark, Poland, Italy, France, Netherlands…

Download materials for THE SECRET STAIRCASE here!

The Secret Staircase

Salla Simukka, illustrated by JP Ahonen

What would you do if you found a secret room in your house? A story about friendship and two boys in two worlds.

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?

THE SECRET STAIRCASE
POIKA ULLAKOLLA, POIKA KELLARISSA
Tammi, 2024, 200 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
CZECHIA: Portál
ESTONIA: Ühinenud Ajakirjad
HUNGARY: Ciceró Könyvstúdió

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.

Six deals in one month for Laura Lähteenmäki’s COUNT SILENTLY TO TEN!

We are extremely thrilled to announce another deal for Laura Lähteenmäki’s stunning middle-grade novel Count Silently to Ten.  The Czech rights for the title were acquired by Portál in a deal closed by Martti Berner – marking the sixth rights sale in just a month.

With this latest deal, the novel has now been sold in seven countries: Czechia, Sweden (pre-empt), Denmark (auction), Italy, Germany (pre-empt), Estonia (auction), and Poland. 

A huge congratulations to Laura Lähteenmäki on this incredible international success!  Rights still available in the UK, Spain, Norway, France, Hungary, Turkey…

This beautifully written novel by Laura Lähteenmäki was nominated for the prestigious 2024 Nordic Council Children and YA Literary Prize. It offers a poignant and timeless portrayal of childhood and the delicate transition to adolescence, exploring the magic of play and the emotional complexities of friendship.

Below, read what the acquiring editors have to say about this beautiful novel:

“Spending this summer with Myy is like revisiting your childhood with its mixture of carefree simplicity and insidious complexity, when the first adolescent issues appear. A truly relatable and touching reading experience.”

– Lisette Agerbo Holm, Editor, Straarup & co, Denmark

“A wonderful story about friendship and belonging, and about play as both a source of power and a refuge when you’re not quite ready to grow up yet.”
– Olivia Demant, Editor, Lilla Piratförlaget, Sweden

“Anyone who is (or once was) ten years old will identify 100% with this girl caught between childhood and growing up struggling to find her place. A beautifully told, finely observed children’s book about the power of friendship.”
– Wiebke Andersen, Editor, Carlsen Verlage, Germany

Click here to request reading materials for COUNT SILENTLY TO TEN!

About COUNT SILENTLY TO TEN:

Myy, Viivi, Heta, Aada, and Camilla are a close-knit group of five girls who call themselves Pätkikset. But as the fourth grade draws to a close, Myy finds that something has changed. She feels that she’s no longer part of the gang. She notices that lively conversations fall silent when she approaches her friends. When the girls hug each other in a tight circle, there’s no room for Myy.

COUNT SILENTLY TO TEN is a story about friendship between girls and the changes that come about as you grow up, but which are difficult to accept. Myy is left out and feels that there may be something wrong with her, since she still wants to play and isn’t interested in make-up and growing up. As things become difficult with the girls, a new boy appears in the area provides a wonderful opportunity for Myy to throw herself into the world of play. Myy and Lassi run to a nearby forest and immerse themselves in a joint game where time and space disappear.

Publication Info:
Laske salaa kymmeneen, WSOY 2024, 206 pp

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.),
CZECHIA: Portál
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Carlsen
ITALY: Terre di Mezzo Editore
POLAND: Muchomor
SWEDEN: Lilla Piratförlaget

Reading Material:
English sample & synopsis
Full Swedish translation
Finnish edition

About author


Laura Lähteenmäki

Laura Lähteenmäki is a Finnish writer of children’s and youth literature. Since her debut youth novel in 1998, she has written around twenty works. Lähteenmäki writes about young people’s lives and their search for a place of their own. She was awarded the Arvid Lydecken prize for a first-class children’s novel for her book Marenkikeiju in 2007 and her work has also been nominated for the Topelius and Finlandia Junior prizes. Her latest novel Count Silently to Ten was nominated for the 2024 Nordic Council Literature Prize! Laura Lähteenmäki lives in Jyväskylä and, in addition to her work as a writer, she is executive editor in a publishing house.

Bibliography


2023, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Count Silently To Ten

Laura Lähteenmäki

Introducing Ahlback Agency SPRING 2025 CHILDREN’S & YA Catalogue

We are thrilled to present our Children & YA Catalogue for Spring 2025!

We are delighted to welcome Päivi Lukkarila and her 2024 Finlandia Prize-winning novel for Children’s & YA literature, Deep in the Woods. This captivating story invites young adult readers on a smartphone-free wilderness expedition, offering adventure and self-discovery.

In addition, Girls Girls Girls provides a stunning and intimate portrayal of three teenage girls on a transformative journey of self-discovery.

For picture book lovers, The Marvelous Suitcase is filled with wonders, while Stiven, is a cat who is convinced he never gets enough food.

Middle-grade readers can embark on an extraordinary journey between two worlds, one of which is Atlantis, or dive into the latest installment of a bestselling series..

Check out the Ahlback Agency Spring 2025 Catalogue here!

The Marvelous Suitcase

Sanna Sofia Vuori illustrated by Silja-Maria Wihersaari

A charming and enchanting children’s tale.

“Daria Duck staggered down the hill, kicking up sand and wobbling her bowler hat. She was on her way to see her best friend, Froberta Frog.”

Daria spots a battered suitcase in Froberta’s gateway. What on earth could be in it?

One by one, the neighbours turn up at Froberta’s house to wonder about the strange suitcase. Each visitor invents a story about what might be inside that reflects their own personality. For example, Simo the Lemon Butterfly’s imagination is full of fairies and dew beads. Etty Snail, on the other hand, thinks the contents will be a rockstar’s guitar. Finally, the suitcase is opened and the contents delight everyone!

Stiven

Ted Forsström, illustrated by Åsa Lucander

The food is gone! Stiven roars. This is urgent! Come out!

Have you ever thought about how frustrating life can be for a cat? When something as simple as food fails over and over again? For Stiven the Cat, it couldn’t be simpler: if there’s no food on Stiven’s plate, the plate needs to be filled with food. How can an entire family have such a hard time grasping this?

The glutton Stiven is a stubborn drama queen, holding the whole family hostage with one mission: more food immediately! He’s a big personality, alternately majestic and pathetic, and neither mom, dad, the child, nor the baby escapes his constant demands for food and attention. This leads to comedic moments in the everyday life of a young family with a pet, brilliantly captured in Åsa Lucander’s lively illustrations.

Ted Forsström’s text is atmospheric and down-to-earth, with his characteristic playful rhymes occasionally shining through. It’s highly relatable for families with young children and especially for anyone who owns a cat—or is owned by one. The duo’s previous bedtime story, STELLA, was nominated for the Finlandia Prize.

 

Twin World Series #1: Saving Atlantis

Siri Kolu

Can Atlantis be saved before disaster strikes?

12-year-old El(ektra) starts sleepwalking and has recurring nightmares of masses of water under which there is no escape. After doing research with her friends Maxxam and Cal, El discovers that the underwater city in her nightmares is ancient Atlantis.

In the city of Atlantis, young Elektra has strange dreams at night about tall glass towers and flying planes. With inventor genius Dobro, Elektra begins to test whether the visions could be real. Based on the dreams, they build a submarine called a wave diver.

Can the Elektras help each other? Can they be rescued from under the waves…and what would it cost?

 

Girls, Girls, Girls

Ilona Ahti and Daniela Hakulinen

In frosty Helsinki, the lives of three teenage girls change over the course of three weekends. They discover sex, love and friendship, but most of all, they discover their own voices.

Mimmi has decided not to believe in love, while her best friend Rönkkö thirsts for connection. The two work together at a smoothie bar, where one day they meet Emma.

The figure skating prodigy Emma finds herself in the middle of a bet on whether you can fall in love with just one look. Mimmi and Emma quickly form an irresistible bond, the kind of attraction between them that Rönkkö dreams of. In the end, each of them must ask themselves what they are prepared to fight for.

Ilona Ahti and Daniela Hakulinen’s unabashed text lets the girls’ feelings and thoughts bleed through the pages. The novel deepens and adds new layers to the story of the successful film written by the duo. Girl Picture hit the big screens in 2022, winning awards both in Finland and internationally.

Deep in the Woods

Päivi Lukkarila

Luka feels like he’s in high school only to satisfy his parents. Why bother with something you’re not interested in?

Sabina’s relationship with Nella has ended. Nella liked her when she was just “conveniently” queer, girly and long-haired. Now that Sabina has decided to be who she always wanted to be, Nella has left her. How do the other three participants in the hike feel about her?

Nasim, from Nokia, dreams of studying literature and becoming a writer, but is constantly confronted with prejudice.

Joel is convinced that one day he’ll be a world-famous stand-up comedian. Comedy’s tough, and it’s easy to overdo it when you’re trying to make people laugh. Joel tells a very different story about his background. What’s real, and what is he making up?

The expedition is only supposed to last three days, but a fateful event changes everything and the teens have to survive in the wild without their guide. They try to entertain each other with ghost stories, and as they tell them, their own frightening childhood experiences come back to haunt them. There seems to be something creepy about their surroundings. What was it in there that spooked all the tourists and will the four be left to wander the wilds until their final days?