The Agency celebrates its 8th anniversary with 3 new deals and great reviews

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Elina Ahlback Literary Agency celebrates its 8th anniversary today
Since 2009 we have read hundreds of books, sold translation rights to 56 different languages and traveled the world from Los Angeles to Shanghai. We wish to thank everyone who has collaborated with us along the way, and raise a toast to many good years to come. On our birthday we’re glad to announce three milestone-marking deals:

20th deal for the baby-sitting monsters
Tuutikki Tolonen and Pasi Pitkänen’s middle-grade duology Monster Nanny & Monster Route has now been sold to DarkSide Books; Brazilian Portuguese is the 20th language these lovely books will be available in!

10th deal for two friends in wonderland
Chinese rights of Salla Simukka’s Sisterland, illustrated by Saku Heinänen, have been sold to Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House. Editor Ran Chang was very glad about the acquisition: “We can’t emphasize how popular Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Secret Garden are in China, and we believe so will Sisterland be! No wonder why Salla Simukka is internationally recognized since she is such a wonderful story-teller.”

1st deal for a group of extraordinary creatures
Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House has also bought the Chinese rights to Pasi Pitkänen’s brand new picture book The Island of Lost Animals. “The Island of Lost Animals is a wonderful creation both in terms of the texts and the illustrations. It is such an engaging story to find out the terrifying monster becomes a real hero in the end, and to enjoy the rich and vigorous illustrations of many animal characters. Kids in China will love it!” said Ran Chang.

…and Maresi receives great reviews again
“A magnificent novel offering beautiful, contemplative writing, fascinating mythology and magic, deep characters and a beautiful message of hope. A very beautiful discovery!” says the expert committee of Montreuil Children’s Book Fair, and places Maria Turtschaninoff’s Maresi – now sold in 21 territories – in their top 3 books of May.

Don’t forget to get in touch with us to request reading materials!

About author


Maria Turtschaninoff

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, winner of the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, winner of the Thank You for the Book Award, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2020-2024), and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize. In 2024, Maria Turtschaninoff won the Eeva Joenpelto Literary Prize (10,000 euro award) for her literary masterpiece Inherited Land.

Her Red Abbey Chronicles YA trilogy has been sold into 30 languages, while her first adult novel Inherited Land has been sold to 23 territories. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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