Anne-Maija Aalto

French two-book-deal for WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN and DRAGONFLY by Finlandia Prize winner Anne-Maija Aalto!

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French two-book-deal for WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN and DRAGONFLY by Finlandia Prize winner Anne-Maija Aalto!

We are extremely thrilled to announce that the French rights for WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN and DRAGONFLY written by the Finlandia Prize winner Anne-Maija Aalto have been pre-empted by French publisher Éditions Milan. The deal was closed by Mimi Matinpalo at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Rights have been previously sold in Hungary to Metropolis Media.
Éditions Milan is one of the leading Children’s Publishers in France, founded in 1982 and with a wide range of Children’s and Young Adult fiction & non-fiction titles in their catalogue, publishing 300 new titles annually.

Congratulations, Anne-Maija Aalto and Éditions Milan!

The French publisher loves these books:

Dystopian YA at its best : beautifully nuanced yet enthralling and epic, Anne-Maija Aalto’s duology is perfect for Murakami and Bradbury fans.”
-Louison Couzy, Éditions Milan, France

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN is a FINLANDIA PRIZE WINNER in 2021 and received many praises:

“The narration is effortless, the world distant yet timely. The great questions of humanity are
present. The story elegantly invites young people to see how their relationships with their parents
can change when they get to know them better.”
–Perttu Pölönen, futurist and non-fiction author, for the Children’s & YA Finlandia award

“The novel describes humanity skillfully, whether it is about an individual’s desire to control, dominate and not care, or about the desire to escape to a virtual reality. The basis for the young protagonist’s change builds up piece by piece, from the events experienced but also by understanding their parent’s decisions. As long as the memories live and influence a person, they can find a path towards the new.”
-Finlandia audience favourite motivations

DRAGONFLY is a TOPELIUS PRIZE NOMINEE in 2020! 

“Dragonfly is a dystopian set in the near future, a world after a flood. [–] The impactful book narrates with a beautiful language a story about friendship, loss, and the inequality in society and between genders.”
–Topelius Prize jury motivations

If you are interested to publish or hear more about Finlandia Prize winner Anne-Maija Aalto and her wonderful novels, we recommend you read and get in touch with us! A third, standalone book is being written for publication in 2024! Rights are still available around the world (excl. Hungary, France, Finland).
Download the materials here!
WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN 
Anne-Maija Aalto
FINLANDIA PRIZE WINNER 2021!What is a person if you take away their memory? Who determines what we believe? A captivating story of rebellion, hope and humanity.Aleksei is a young man whose father runs a human research institute in Tokyo, which is now partly covered by the sea. New batches of test subjects regularly arrive at the facility, including one with Satomi, a young woman whose memory is set to be erased. Satomi becomes Aleksei’s trial case, since he is meant to continue his father’s work. But something is already churning beneath the surface, and the younger generation can see the horrors of the system their parents have created.

 

Mistä valo pääsee sisään
Otava 2021, 320 pp.
Rights sold: FINLAND: Otava, HUNGARY: Metropolis Media Group, FRANCE: Éditions Milan
DRAGONFLY
Anne-Maija Aalto
TOPELIUS PRIZE NOMINEE 2020!A shocking, brilliantly told story about resistance in an unequal society. Two young women, Satomi and Mai have always stuck together. They were born in an internment village on an island that was called Japan before sea level rose. They are non-citizens whose purpose is to serve full citizens.On good nights they go to the seaside together to wade. They still have that, even if everything else has been taken away from them.

Then Commander Rafikov takes Mai to make her a Nymph.

And Satomi can’t just wait anymore.

“I’m standing here and coming apart inside, just like that. I’m only thinking of the end.”

 

Korento
Otava 2020, 387 pp.
Rights sold: FINLAND: Otava, FRANCE: Éditions Milan

About author


Anne-Maija Aalto

Anne-Maija Aalto is an award-winning Finnish author of both YA and adult fiction. Her YA novel Where the Light Comes In won the prestigious Finlandia Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2021 and has received praise for its effortless narration, beautiful prose and compellingly current story.

Where the Light Comes In is a standalone sequel for Dragonfly which was nominated for the Topelius Prize in 2020. The prize is awarded yearly to an expectional novel for young people, and the jury described Dragonfly as “a deeply touching and beautifully written story of friendship, loss and social inequality.” Her other works include YA novel Into Deep Water and novel The Silence of Snow. Her books often dwelve into the darker sides of humanity, exploring the themes of loss, loneliness, identity and coming of age.

Anne-Maija holds a Bachelor of Arts in literature from the University of Turku where she also studied English and creative writing. She lives in Turku with her husband and an extensive collection of half-filled notebooks. When she isn’t writing, she can most likely be found walking in nature with her camera or lounging on the couch with a good book.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2021, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Where the Light Comes In

Anne-Maija Aalto


2020, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Dragonfly

Anne-Maija Aalto

Related news

Finlandia-winning novel WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN sold to Hungary!

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Anne-Maija Aalto’s Finlandia-winning novel WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN Hungarian rights sold!
We are delighted to let you know that the Hungarian rights to Anne-Maija Aalto’s YA title WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN have been sold to Metropolis Media Group! They praised the book saying:

“A very original novel. As a publisher, I always try to find books that can suggest something new,  approach a topic from a new perspective, and this novel has surpassed all our expectations. Impressive and captivating dystopia, and these books have the potential to inspire young people to read.”
– Dr. Mund Katalin, Editor-in-Chief, Metropolis Media Group, Hungary

Download the English materials for WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN here!

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN won the prestigious Finlandia prize for Children’s and YA literature in 2021, and was also selected as the audiece favourite! The jury said:

“The narration is effortless, the world distant yet timely. The great questions of humanity are present. The story elegantly invites young people to see how their relationships with their parents can change when they get to know them better.”

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN 

What is a person if you take away their memory? Who determines what we believe? A captivating story of rebellion, hope and humanity.

Alexei is a young man whose father runs a human research institute in Tokyo, which is now partly covered by the sea. New cargoes of test subjects regularly arrive at the facility, one containing Satomi, a young woman whose memory is set to be erased. Satomi becomes Alexei’s trial case, since he is meant to continue his father’s work. But something is already churning beneath the surface, and the younger generation can see the horrors of the system their parents have created.

Download the English materials here!

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN 
Mistä valo pääsee sisään, Otava, 2021. 320 pp.

Rights sold: 
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

HUNGARY: Metropolis Media Group

About author


Anne-Maija Aalto

Anne-Maija Aalto is an award-winning Finnish author of both YA and adult fiction. Her YA novel Where the Light Comes In won the prestigious Finlandia Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2021 and has received praise for its effortless narration, beautiful prose and compellingly current story.

Where the Light Comes In is a standalone sequel for Dragonfly which was nominated for the Topelius Prize in 2020. The prize is awarded yearly to an expectional novel for young people, and the jury described Dragonfly as “a deeply touching and beautifully written story of friendship, loss and social inequality.” Her other works include YA novel Into Deep Water and novel The Silence of Snow. Her books often dwelve into the darker sides of humanity, exploring the themes of loss, loneliness, identity and coming of age.

Anne-Maija holds a Bachelor of Arts in literature from the University of Turku where she also studied English and creative writing. She lives in Turku with her husband and an extensive collection of half-filled notebooks. When she isn’t writing, she can most likely be found walking in nature with her camera or lounging on the couch with a good book.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2021, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Where the Light Comes In

Anne-Maija Aalto


2020, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Dragonfly

Anne-Maija Aalto

Related news

Introducing the Finlandia Prize winner 2021 Anne-Maija Aalto with the YA novel WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN

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We are incredibly proud to announce that the Finlandia Prize winner for Children’s & Young Adult Literature this year, Anne-Maija Aalto with the YA novel WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN is now represented by Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

Join us in welcoming and congratulating Anne-Maija Aalto!

Finlandia Prize winner Anne-Maija Aalto’s WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN is the dystopian love story of two very different characters with different values set in a water-covered former Japan.
Download the Finnish pdf for WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN from this link.

The English sample and synopsis are available in early January 2022. If you need a Finnish reader or translator, find them here.

Finlandia Prize Jury’s motivations:

The narration is effortless, the world distant yet timely. The great questions of humanity are present. The story elegantly invites young people to see how their relationships with their parents can change when they get to know them better.

  • Perttu Pölönen, Futurist, Non-Fiction Author

 

Finlandia Prize winner: WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN
by Anne-Maija AaltoWhat is a person if you take away their memory? Who determines what we believe? A captivating story of rebellion, hope and humanity.

Alexei is a young man whose father runs a human research institute in Tokyo, which is now partly covered by the sea. New cargoes of test subjects regularly arrive at the facility, one containing Satomi, a young woman whose memory is set to be erased. Satomi becomes Alexei’s trial case, since he is meant to continue his father’s work. But something is already churning beneath the surface, and the younger generation can see the horrors of the system their parents have created.

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN won the Finlandia Prize and was also selected as the audience favorite among the Finlandia Prize for Children’s & Young Adult Literature nominees at the Cultural Gala held in December 2021..

The Finlandia Prize for Children’s & Young Adult Literature is a recognition presented by the Finnish Book Foundation for meritorious Finnish children’s and young adult writing. The amount of the award is 30,000 euros. The Finlandia Prizes were presented on December 1, 2021.

Anne-Maija Aalto (b. 1988) holds a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from the University of Turku. She enjoys good stories and traveling to foreign cities. Her acclaimed debut novel Into Deep Water was published in 2016. Her second novel, Dragonfly, appeared in 2020 and was nominated for the Topelius Prize. Her 2021 Where the Light Comes In is the 2021 Finlandia Prize winner.

Bibliography:

*   Into Deep Water, 2016
*   Dragonfly, 2020 – Topelius Prize nominee 2020
*   Where the Light Comes In, 2021  – Finlandia Prize winner 2021

WHERE THE LIGHT COMES IN
by Anne-Maija Aalto

Mistä valo pääsee sisään
Otava, September 2021, 320pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

READING MATERIALS:

Finnish manuscript.
English sample and Synopsis coming early January 2022

About author


Anne-Maija Aalto

Anne-Maija Aalto is an award-winning Finnish author of both YA and adult fiction. Her YA novel Where the Light Comes In won the prestigious Finlandia Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2021 and has received praise for its effortless narration, beautiful prose and compellingly current story.

Where the Light Comes In is a standalone sequel for Dragonfly which was nominated for the Topelius Prize in 2020. The prize is awarded yearly to an expectional novel for young people, and the jury described Dragonfly as “a deeply touching and beautifully written story of friendship, loss and social inequality.” Her other works include YA novel Into Deep Water and novel The Silence of Snow. Her books often dwelve into the darker sides of humanity, exploring the themes of loss, loneliness, identity and coming of age.

Anne-Maija holds a Bachelor of Arts in literature from the University of Turku where she also studied English and creative writing. She lives in Turku with her husband and an extensive collection of half-filled notebooks. When she isn’t writing, she can most likely be found walking in nature with her camera or lounging on the couch with a good book.

Read more Author's page

Bibliography


2021, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Where the Light Comes In

Anne-Maija Aalto


2020, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

Dragonfly

Anne-Maija Aalto

Related news