Poika ullakolla, poika kellarissa / Salla Simukka, JP Ahonen, Satu Leisko

 

Poika ullakolla, poika kellarissa / Salla Simukka, JP Ahonen, Satu Leisko

STORY:10 year old Aleksis (Lex) moves to a new house and Lex gets a bedroom in the attic. 10 year old Max also moves to a new house and gets a bedroom in the basement. Then strange things begin happening and the boys solve a mystery together.

LANGUAGE: The language in this book is around a B1, but readers with a lower Finnish level can enjoy reading a chapter to try it out and see how much they understand. The story is great and featurings magical realism and each chapter draws the reader to read just one more chapter. The book is written in dual perspective, the boys taking turn to tell their version of events.

CHARACTERS: Lex likes to play music on his violin and Max likes rocks and stars and wants to learn how to juggle. 

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: The original version of this book was a nominee for the Finlandia prize in 2024. It is always great, when Finnish books gets "translations" into selko versions, so everyone can read "the same book" as the original, albeit somewhat modified. The illustrations are wonderful and although it's a bit over 150 pages, it does not feel long while reading it. Children as well as adults will enjoy this fantastic tale.