Tales of the Quarterlands is a new middle grade fantasy series written by Elina Rouhiainen and illustrated by Kaisa Ranta. The first installment, the Glow-maker, is available in Finnish from Minerva Publishers.

Tales of the Quarterlands 1: The Glow-maker

Taaro is a young boy living in a remote corner of a great, vast land. His life has been as peaceful as his home country but now he has reached an age where all children go on a journey alone to find their panyon, their spirit animal. But when Taaro accidentally gets mistaken for a thief near the city of Vaahkaburgh he finds himself in deep trouble. Someone has managed to steal the city’s secret source of power, a machine able to create a substance called Glow. It’s only with the help of the son and daughter of a high-ranking officer that Taaro manages to escape. But now they all have to run for their lives in a land on the brink of war – and everyone else thinks they are to blame.

Tales of the Quarterlands is an epic adventure set in an original fantasy land where children are needed to save the day. The story is easy to read with short chapters and many plot twists, but it also manages to draw thought-provoking parallels to real life where young activists sometimes do a better job than adults in conflict situations.

Colors: 4/4 | Pages: 136 | Ages: 7+ | Original language: Finnish | Original publisher: Minerva Publishers

Foreign rights inquiries: Ferly Co.

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Authors

Elina Rouhiainen debuted at the young age of 24
and has since become the leading lady of Finnish YA. The first book in her recent trilogy The Bird Circle has most awards ever won by a Finnish YA novel, and the series has also sold internationally. Now, Elina’s first middle grade series is bringing her unique, modern touch on fantasy to a whole new readership.

Kaisa Ranta is an illustrator and animation artist whose artwork has the rare ability to appeal to all ages. Tales of the Quarterlands introduces her an illustrator of children’s fiction.