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LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES 4: Crystal Skull by Magdalena Hai and Teemu Juhani sold to the Netherlands!

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We are excited to announce that the Dutch rights for LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES 4: CRYSTAL SKULL by Magdalena Hai and Teemu Juhani have been sold to De Vier Windstreken! The deal was closed by Martti Berner.

THE LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES series features spooky mystery paired with laugh-out-loud humour for young readers from 5 years and up and is also perfect for reluctant readers. The series has been sold to 30 territories worldwide, and the 4th book was just published in Finland on January 13.

The LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES is written by bestselling author Magdalena Hai, who won the Finlandia Prize of 2023 for her YA novel THE HORNED GOD. Her texts are perfectly accompanied by Teemu Juhani’s humorous illustrations full of funny details, which make the series a irresistible package!

Will yours be next? We have full English texts for books 1-4 for you to read! Rights to the bestselling series are still available in UK, US, Arabic, Iceland…

Request the full reading materials for the series or individual titles here!

 

Remember that the FILI translation grants are open now!

The grants cover up to 70% of translation costs, and for children’s picture books there are also printing grants.

Grants, on average, cover 50–70% of translation costs. Additional funding is also available for printing costs for comics, graphic novels, and children’s picture books. Read more here: APPLY FOR FILI GRANTS

In 2025, publishers from French-speaking and German-speaking Europe are guaranteed a 70% grant for eligible translations. Learn more here: GRANT FOR FRENCH- AND GERMAN-SPEAKING EUROPE.

We are also currently scheduling for both London and Bologna Book Fairs – get in touch with us at  info@ahlbackagency.com.

We’d love to see you!

THE LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES
by Magdalena Hai, illustrated by Teemu Juhani

Nina is a clever, 9-year-old girl who goes to work in the Little Shop of Nightmares. During the course of the trilogy, she has to solve a mystery with tickling powder, find the lost teeth of a vampire and discover the reason why suddenly it just doesn’t stop snowing. The Little Shop of Nightmares is a mystery full of fascinating and fun characters that make young readers both wonder and laugh!

#1  THE TERRIBLE TICKLING POWDER
When Nina, 9 years old, enters The Little Shop of Nightmares in hopes of getting a job, she is greeted by an odd sight: shopkeeper Mr. Kook is rolling on the floor, unable to stop laughing. With a little help from a ghost called Paddy, they start looking for the untickling powder to help him, but things are certainly not made easier by Mr. Kook’s world-domination-planning pet octopus Squishy McGoo, who is a bit too quick about getting into trouble with rollerblades on its tentacles.

#2  MYSTERY OF THE MISSING TEETH
Nina goes to buy ice cream after her first work day at The Little Shop of Nightmares. But at the ice cream shop she discovers a vampire – without teeth! Nina decides to help vampire Lucas to find his teeth from Mr. Kook’s shop. But for some reason all the vampire teeth seem to have disappeared. It seems like somebody has hidden them on purpose…

#3  STICKY THE TERRIBLE SNOWMAN
Same awesome monsters. New blizzardy trouble. The Little Shop of Nightmares is getting buried in snow! Nina and Paddy are trying to find the cause of the snowstorm, but that’s easier said than done. A well-meaning but horribly clumsy snowman keeps getting in their way and stopping their every effort to stop the snowing inside.

#4  THE CRYSTAL SKULL
The Little Shop of Nightmares crew finds out that a pirate sailing competition is coming to town! Competing to be the fastest pirate ship are the Ghosts, the Zombies, the Sirens and the Better Pirates – all of whom want the Crystal Skull that has been given to Mr. Kook for safekeeping at the Little Shop of Nightmares. When the Crystal Skull suddenly goes missing from the shop, little Nina and her friends start their investigation – and the suspects are a-plenty!

Rights sold: LITTLE SHOP OF NIGHTMARES SERIES
FINLAND: WSOY(orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: Emas
CATALAN: La Galera
CZECH REPUBLIC: Euromedia
DENMARK: Vild Maskine
ESTONIA: Postimees Kirjastus
FRANCE: Éditions Milan
GERMANY: HarperCollins Schneiderbuch
GREECE: Dioptra
HUNGARY: Cerkabella Konyvkiado
ITALY: Cart’ Armata Edizioni
JAPAN: Holp Publishing
KOREA: Gilbutschool
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Briedis
NETHERLANDS: De Vier Windstreken
NORWAY: Fontini
POLAND: Znak
PORTUGAL: PRH Portugal
ROMANIA: Univers Publishing House
RUSSIA: Kompass Guide
SERBIA: Odiseja
SLOVAKIA: Ikar
SWEDEN: Hegas
TAIWAN: Morning Star
TURKEY: Epsilon
UKRAINE: The Old Lion Publishing House
WORLD SPANISH: La Galera

Reading materials:
English PDFs for books #1-#4

About author


Magdalena Hai

Magdalena Hai is an award-winning author, lover of cross-genre fiction and all things strange. Her fiction often combines elements of sci-fi, fantasy and horror.

Her Little Shop of Nightmares series has been sold to 30 territories around the world. Among Hai's many accolades are winning the Finlandia Prize for children's and YA literature and the Finnish Literary Export Prize, and being nominated  the Nordic Council Children & Young People's Literature Prize.

Besides being an author, Hai teaches writing and is an active member and editor in the publishing co-operative Osuuskumma.

Read more Author's page

About author


Teemu Juhani

Teemu Juhani is a Finnish illustrator, comic artist and picture book author whose illustrations have been published in picture books and children's fiction in over 20 countries. In addition to children's books Teemu has illustrated magazines and educational material. Originally from the fields and woods of North Karelia, Teemu now lives, works and eats way too many cakes in Helsinki.

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Count Silently to Ten sold to Germany and Estonia

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We are very excited to announce, not one, but two new deals for our poignant middle grade novel and Nordic Literary Prize nominee Count Silently to Ten by Laura Lähteenmäki!

The German rights were acquired by Carlsen in a pre-empt deal closed by Martti Berner, and the Estonian rights were acquired by Hea Lugu in a deal closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe.

Wiebke Andersen, editor at Carlsen shared her thoughts:

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.

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.

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

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

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.), ESTONIA: Hea Lugu, GERMANY: Carlsen, ITALY: Terre di Mezzo Editore

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.

Read more

Bibliography


2023, Middle Grade (8-12 Years)

Count Silently To Ten

Laura Lähteenmäki

Related news

Hungarian rights sold for RASPBERRY BOAT REFUGEE by Miika Nousiainen!

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We are also glad to report that the Hungarian rights to RASPBERRY BOAT REFUGEE, the debut novel by Miika Nousiainen, have been acquired by Polar! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe.

Originally published in 2007, Nousiainen’s humorous description of one Finn’s yearning to become a Swede at any cost has become one of the classics of Finnish humor novels. A film based on the novel and co-produced by Finnish and Swedish companies was released in 2014.

After RASPBERRY BOAT REFUGEE, Nousiainen has published five more novels and become a popular panellist in Finnish comedy panel shows. His latest novel PUSH, PACE, POSITION, PRAY, detailing his journey to becoming a runner, was published last October and has already been sold to Czechia.

We are also happy to remind you that the latest FILI translation grant application round is ongoing and will last until February 1st!
You can find more information here: Translation and printing grants for publishers outside Finland – FILI

Now is the perfect time to acquire the rights for this or any of the other amazing titles on our list!

Download materials for RASPBERRY BOAT REFUGEE here!

Raspberry Boat Refugee

Miika Nousiainen

An extremely funny debut novel that tenderly depicts the western neighbours of Finland – so close, yet so far. 

Mikko Virtanen has a problem. He does not want to be a Finnish man, the grumpy epitome of anxiety and low self-esteem. He has decided to become Swedish instead, by any means necessary.

The road to Swedishness is a long one, and the price to pay high. But what wouldn’t you do for a chance to live as a member of the most democratic society of the world, in the ‘folkhemmet’ of ABBA, mamma’s meat balls and social democracy?

Mikko Virtanen becomes Mikael Andersson – the empathic, loving and dialogical father of two from Gothenburg, but when his lifetime wish is fulfilled, everything goes haywire.

RASPBERRY BOAT REFUGEE
VADELMAVENEPAKOLAINEN
Otava, 2007, 276 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis
German edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
GERMANY: Nagel & Kimche
HUNGARY: Polar Egyesület
SWEDEN: Brombergs

About author


Miika Nousiainen

Miika Nousiainen (b. 1973 in Säynätsalo) has worked as a news and current affairs journalist for MTV3's news department. In addition, he has written for several popular TV-shows.

Nousiainen’s debut novel, Raspberry Boat Refugee (2007), tells the story of Mikko Virtanen, a man who desperately wants to become Swedish at any cost. In this tragicomic work, Nousiainen makes sharp observations about our western neighbor and illustrates that we’re all self-proclaimed experts on Sweden.

Roots (2016) follows the search for a missing father, taking readers across continents from Lieksa, Finland, to Australia. The book was also well-received internationally.

In Facelift (2020), Nousiainen gently explores themes of family and the longing for connection.

In addition he has written The Danger of the Long Distance Runner (2009) and Forrest Giant (2011). 

Nousiainen's novels have been adapted countless times and translated into languages such as Swedish, German, Dutch, Italian, and Estonian.

Miika Nousiainen have been awarded with: Laila Hirvisaari Foundation Grant (2008), Kalevi Jäntti Prize (2009) and Honorable Mention in the Sports Museum Foundation’s Sports Book of the Year Competition (2010)

Read more

Bibliography


2024, Commercial/Upmarket, Humor

Push, Pace, Position, Pray

Miika Nousiainen


2020, Commercial/Upmarket, Humor

Facelift

Miika Nousiainen


2016, Humor

Roots

Miika Nousiainen


2007, Humor

Raspberry Boat Refugee

Miika Nousiainen

Related news

Bulgarian rights sold for GHOST ISLAND by Max Seeck!

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We are happy to announce that EMAS has acquired the Bulgarian rights to GHOST ISLAND, book #4 in the Jessica Niemi series by Max Seeck! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe.

Jessica Niemi series by the New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck is a true international phenomenon – the rights for the series have been sold to 41 territories and a TV series based on the titles is in development. Additionally, book #3 in the series, THE LAST GRUDGE, won the prestigious Glass Key Award in 2023.

In addition to the Jessica Niemi series, Max’s new crime series, focusing on the investigations of criminal profiler and art gallerist Milo Perho, has also gained traction, with rights sold to 7 territories and a TV series based on the first novel in pre-production.

We are also happy to remind you that the latest FILI translation grant application round is ongoing and will last until February 1st!
You can find more information here: Translation and printing grants for publishers outside Finland – FILI

Now is the perfect time to acquire the rights for this or any of the other amazing titles on our list!

Download materials for GHOST ISLAND here!

Ghost Island

Max Seeck

The fourth title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series!

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica Niemi is ordered on paid leave after an altercation, and she decides to travel to a small island in the Åland archipelago to escape the attention and find some peace. Meanwhile, a group of old people arrive on the same island, and Jessica learns that they are the remaining members of the Doves, the people who had to flee from Finland to Sweden during World War II and ended up living in an orphanage on the very same island.

One evening, Jessica hears a local legend about a girl who also inhabited the orphanage once, but who was mentally ill. Every night at two o’clock, the girl put on her blue coat and went to stand on the pier, waiting for something that never showed up. One night she disappeared and was never found. That same night, one of the remaining Doves dies.

Jessica soon finds out that two other people have previously faced the same fate on the same island, and all three people seem to have something to do with the girl in the blue coat. A chain of events starts to escalate, and we don’t know whether we’re facing a killer or – just like the legend says – a ghost, the girl in the blue coat.

Jessica Niemi is once again facing a scary mystery where the stakes are considerable. Whilst battling her own demons, uncertain what is real and what is not, she needs to find out the truth.

GHOST ISLAND
LOUKKO
Tammi, 2022, 358 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Kirjastus Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers

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.

Read more Author's page

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

Related news

Happy New Year 2025 from the happiest country in the world!

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Finland has been chosen the happiest country in the world for seven years in a row, and there’s no better time to reflect on the secrets of happiness, than a New Year’s Eve. To share our wisdom for fulfilling life, these two remarkable books unlock the secrets, offering insights into well-being and balance.

Stop Chasing Happiness: A Pessimist’s Guide to a Good Life by Frank Martela

In Stop Chasing Happiness, academic and philosopher Frank Martela – hailing from Finland, the world’s happiest country – reveals why our fixation on happiness and achievement is making us miserable. With wisdom rooted in science, philosophy, and personal experience, Martela shows you the path to a life of energized contentment.

I have been waiting for a new book by Frank Martela since I finished reading Elämän tarkoitus (A Wonderful Life). Frank simply helps me to think better and live better. And I am not alone so we cannot wait to publish his anticipated book and bring it to the hands of the impatient Finnish readers. We might be the happiest nation on Earth but we too need gentle guidance to happiness–or to understanding to avoid chasing it, to be precise. And who would be a more perfect thinker to deliver this message to us than Frank who has a phenomenal ability to present complex ideas in a comprehensible and thought-provoking way. We are honoured and inspired to continue to be his Finnish publisher.

–  Johanna Laitinen, Publisher at Gummerus, Finland

 

The Power of Hot and Cold. From Sauna to Sea: The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life by Carita Harju & Katja Pantzar

This definitive guide by two experts takes readers on a journey into the transformative powers of hot and cold by pairing the sauna, that quintessential hot Finnish steam bath, with a cold-water dip. Along the way, it serves up the inspiration and practical tools for creating a wellness retreat using the Nordic contrast bathing philosophy, wherever you are in the world.

The Finnish hot and cold method boosts happiness by increasing wellbeing and encouraging connection with nature. It’s the secret to how the world’s happiest nation keeps calm and carries on – no matter what life throws at them. Now you too can learn their secrets.

What a wonderful, powerful book! The Power of Hot and Cold by Katja Pantzar and Carita Harju summarises in a very fresh, informative and cheerful way the positive holistic effects that sauna and a bath in cold water have on body, mind and soul. A promising trend that is also becoming increasingly popular in Germany.

– Berit Hoffmann, Editor, Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe GmbH

 

At its core, Finnish happiness is about simplicity, connection, and embracing life’s rhythms. Here’s to a 2025 filled with serenity, and Finland-inspired joy.

Hyvää uutta vuotta, Happy New Year 2025!

About author


Carita Harju

Carita Harju is a Finnish sauna experience expert and marketing professional whose mission is to share the Finnish sauna’s positive health and wellness benefits with the world. She is the founder and executive director of Sauna from Finland, which represents an international network of more than 200 sauna industry companies. The organization’s mission is to create the world’s best sauna experiences, and Harju loves her work, because it allows her to advance an idea that she is personally so passionate about. Carita Harju has always enjoyed saunas, goes to sauna with her family nearly every day and gives talks all over the world.

Her first illustrated guide, Sauna - The Way of Finnish Life (2016), has been published in four languages, including German and Chinese. Her second book, Soul of the Sauna, was released in Japanese and Hungarian, while her newest title Saunafulness (Hyvää oloa saunomalla, 2021) has been sold to 4 territories.

Read more Author's page

About author


Frank Martela

Professor Frank Martela, PhD, is a philosopher and researcher of psychology specializing in the question of meaning in life. His articles have appeared in Scientific American Mind, Harvard Business Review, Salon, CNBC and his work has been featured on Quartz and on the BBC. His research has been published extensively in numerous academic journals such as Nature Human Behaviour, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Journal of Personality, Metaphilosophy, Southern Journal of Philosophy, and Academy of Management Review. He has spoken to more than one hundred audiences worldwide, including invited lectures in universities on five continents, including Stanford University and Harvard University. He’s been interviewed by the New York Times, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Vice News, Fox News,and Monocle Observer among others. He is Assistant Professor at Aalto University in Finland. Outside of work, Frank is a father to three lovely children, an amateur-level soccer player, with an occasional skiing trip in the winters. He is made in Green Bay, so Packers holds a special place in his heart.

Read more Author's page

About author


Katja Pantzar

Katja Pantzar –  Katja Pantzar is a Helsinki-based writer and journalist who swims in the Baltic Sea year round. Raised in Canada, with stints in New Zealand and England, she is the author of The Finnish Way (Penguin Random House/2018), a bestselling non-fiction book about Nordic well-being, winter swimming and sisu (resilience) that has been translated into 24 languages. Her second book on sisu, Everyday Sisu: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life (Penguin Random House/2022) explores through expert interviews and research-based information how we can better support our mental and physical health while taking care of each other and our planet. Everyday Sisu has also been published in Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian. Pantzar’s work has been widely covered around the world in media ranging from Le Figaro, Le Monde, and El Paísto Vogue the Washington Post and the New York Review of Books. . She is also the author of three mini-guides to the Finnish capital, including 100 things to do in Helsinki (Siltala/2024).

Read more Author's page

Ahlback Agency Year of Books & Happy Holidays!

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We would like to take a moment to look back at another wonderful year of books and celebrate our authors and their many successes in 2024!

We have welcomed new authors and screenwriters, and new colleagues alike (Julia, Martti & Satu), and cheered on our authors as they won awards and hit the bestsellers list. We are thankful to all our publishing friends who have acquired rights and helped to spread Finnish literature far and wide.

We wish you all happy holidays and a good start into the new year – we are excited to talk more about books with you in 2025 and can’t wait to share our spring list with you soon! Enjoy your well deserved break and time with friends and loved ones!

All the best from us at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency,

Elina, Julia, Martti & Satu

2024 Sales highlights

We were thrilled to see that our authors had a successful year in sales both at home and internationally! Here is a selection of sales that we would like to highlight:

  • FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by Martta Kaukonen has now sold to 17 territories, and got her first three-book-deal from Iceland and the prestigious UK literary magazine Literary Review selected the book as one of the top crime novels of the year
  • MILO by Max Seeck, was a domestic bestseller with over 40,000 copies sold and for the first time Max’s book was acquired by a Japanese publisher, Kodensha.
  • The four books in Elina Backman’s SAANA HAVAS crime series sold over 140,000 copies in Finland
  • The three books in Eeva Loukko’s RONJA VAARA crime series sold 50,000 copies in Finland, while the fourth is being published in January 2025

   

   

  • First Finnish romantasy novel, THE DAUGHTER OF TWO BLOODS, was a domestic bestseller with 6,000 copies sold
  • Arttu Tuominen’s RIVER DELTA series came to an end, with a bang. The final book sold over 20,000 copies, bringing the series’ total sales to an impressive 200,000 copies
  • Arttu Unkari and Kai Vaalio’s DAD MAN middle grade series sold over 140,000 copies in Finland

  

2024 Award highlights

There have been many reason to celebrate our authors this year! A big round of congratulations to all award winners and nominees!

FINLANDIA PRIZE NOMINEES:

This year we had a record breaking amount of our talented authors nominated for the prestigious Finlandia Prize in all categories:

   

   

Our Award Winners:

 

Mia Kankamaki The Women I think About At Night US 

Our Award Nominees:

   

                                   

Other highlights