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DETAINED by Salla Simukka has received raving reviews in Finland’s biggest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The critic compares the themes of the book to Steven Spielberg’s Hollywood blockbuster Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise, and HBO hit show Westworld.
”Simukka writes the story with confidence and is psychologically attentive. Once again her novel earns a place as the best of Finnish YA literature.”
”In the novel fifty young people are imprisoned for crimes they may commit in the future. Unlike in the Minority Report, the future is not foreseen by mutants, but is based on probability calculations. Of the fifty teenagers we get to follow five: Kaspian, Oliver, Johannes, Meea, and Vega. The focus is in their past, their values and thoughts.”
Each one is given an opportunity to figure out their future crimes, and confess them before they turn 18. Simukka also effortlessly describes teens from very different backgrounds, and the LGBTQIA+ themes are strongly represented.
”Gender and sexuality are an important part of their identity, but they are not highlighted, and one is no stranger than the other. Caspian is a black poet, Meea is a curvy girl adopted from China, Vega is a non-binary outsider, Oliver is a gay guy from rich family, and his boyfriend Johannes comes from a broken, poor and alcoholic family. The main theme is, of course, the confrontation between imprisonment and freedom.”
Salla Simukka’s previous bestselling Young Adult SNOW WHITE trilogy sold to 52 countries around the world.
Review quotes: Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, July 2020, Arla Kanerva
Rights sold
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
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The long wait is over! Salla Simukka – the author of the world-wide bestseller Snow White trilogy – has written a new YA thriller: DETAINED. The novel will be published in Finland in June 2020 by Tammi Publishers.
Nobody should be punished for crimes they didn’t commit. What about crimes they were going to commit in the future?
#thriller #teenagers #nearfuture #dystopia #YA #LGBTQIA
Fifty teenagers are brought to a fully automated prison with no guards or other staff, where behaviour and punishments are monitored and executed remotely. Each one of the teenagers has been predicted to commit a crime at some point in their future.
This is their last chance. They need to be able to find out what their future crime is, confess it, and show remorse. If they do, they will get released. If they fail to confess their crimes before the age of eighteen, they will remain in prison to serve their full sentence.
In Detained Simukka continues to address the themes that her previous books have been praised for, such as sexual identity, trust, and friendship.
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
June 2020, 200 pp.
We are thrilled to share some of the rave reviews that Salla Simukka’s middle-grade novel Sisterland has gotten since its recent US publication.
Fall under the spell of this contemporary fairy tale that’s perfect for fans of Emily Winfield Martin’s Snow & Rose and the Chronicles of Narnia series. English edition available. Translated by Owen Witesman.
While a few readers may wish for longer pauses in this Odyssey-paced journey, most will delight in the wondrous details and flexible metaphors.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A girl-centered hero’s journey, at once princess-free and enchanting.”
—Kirkus
“A humorous, delightfully sweet tale of magic and sisterhood.”
—Booklist
“The enchanting writing contains rich descriptions and similes, and will be accessible to reluctant readers.“
—School Library Journal
“Enjoy the plethora of fantastic creatures and the paean to friendship.”
—Bulletin
“This book is gorgeous, lush, and dreamy with the atmosphere of fairy tales we all know and love. It’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, but for this generation. It’s a beautiful exploration of friendship and the way children forget, of bravery and the beauty of remembering.”
— Book Shop of Fort Collins, USA
About the book:
Welcome to Sisterland, a fantastical world where it is always summer. The most enchanting magic of all, though, is Alice’s new friend Marissa. But as the girls explore the strange land, they learn Sisterland’s endless summer comes at a price. Back on Earth, their homes are freezing over. To save their families, Alice and Marissa must outwit the powerful Queen Lili. But the deeper they go into Sisterland, the less Alice and Marissa remember about their homes, their lives before, and what they are fighting for. A wondrous tale about heroism, loyalty, and friendship from one of the most celebrated Finnish children’s authors.
About the author:
Salla Simukka is the author of the international success story The Snow White Trilogy: rights are sold in 52 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.
Her new YA novel, Detained, will be published in the fall 2020.
Rights sold:
FINLAND, Tammi (Orig.)
ARAB WORLD, Arab Scientific Publishers
BELGIUM, Clavis
CHINA, Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
ESTONIA, Pegasus
FRANCE, Hachette Livre
JAPAN, Nishimura
LATVIA, Zvaigzne
NETHERLANDS, Clavis
UNITED STATES, Random House/Crown (World English)
Reading materials:
English edition
We have great news to share with you! We have recently closed three deals for children’s and YA books.
Salla Simukka’s new collection of YA short stories Turn Off the Lights! Turn on the Lights! was sold to Zvaigzne in Latvia. The stories’ genre ranges from horror to romance to sci-fi and realism, showing the lives of all kinds of teens and young adults. The flip-book lets the reader see the both sides of life: the good and happy, and the dark and scary.
”Salla Simukka’s created characters are fascinating, they don’t leave our mind after the last page are closed. But are there the last page at all? You can turn the book and start reading once more, from a different point of view. Unique concept and diverse stylistics.”
– Marite Gulbe, Zvaigzne
Magdalena Hai’s adorable ghost story The Little Shop of Nightmares for early readers was sold to KompasGuide/The Teenbook Publishing in Russia. This is a first part of series that will follow the adventures of a 9-year-old Ninni who works in a shop of nightmares.
”It’s difficult to find a good middle grade book. It should be exciting, encouraging and at the same time well-balanced between clarity of the books one has read before and complicity of the ones he or she is yet to read. The Little Shop of Nightmares by Magdalena Hai is definitely one of that kind: we were captured by its amusing combination of bizarre magic and clever humor with hidden messages for those who look deeper. Let alone the resemblance to Gravity Falls series! ”
– Igor Grizhuk, Foreign Rights Manager, KompasGuide Publishing House
The lovely and colorful picture book The Fox Who Painted the Sky by Mila Teräs and Karoliina Partamo was sold to Knesebeck Verlag in Germany.
”The wonderful illustrations of ’The Fox who painted the sky’ instantly charmed us – and as soon we had read the surprising ending, our hearts were won over. We’re very happy to welcome this artistic fox into our Knesebeck-family!”
– Tatjana Kröll, Head of children’s books, Knesebeck Verlag
This picture book combines collage and painting with enchanting story and funny poems!
Request reading materials for Turn Off the Lights! Turn On the Lights!
Request reading materials for the Little Shop of Nightmares!
Request reading materials for The Fox Who Painted the Sky!
Rights sold:
Turn Off the Lights! Turn On the Lights!
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
Rights sold:
The Little Shop of Nightmares
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
RUSSIA: KompasGuide/The Teenbooks Publishing
Rights sold:
The Fox Who Painted the Sky
FINLAND: Karisto (orig.)
GERMANY:
Knesebeck Verlag
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