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Finnish authors abroad
Finnish authors abroad
Aunt Fran receives word of a fabulously wealthy older relative who has heard of the musically talented Wills and is contemplating leaving him a large inheritance.
Planning to make a visit to Finland from his retirement home in Seville, he wants to meet Wills, warning that the only musical genre he loathes is “that rap kids are listening to”. Fran and Rose begin to coach Wills and Nelli for the meeting: rapping is forbidden, and a bowtie is mandatory. Amidst the preparations, Mr Lindberg begins to worry that he will soon lose Wills and Rita to the glamorous life on offer.
The Wills & Nelli books by Sinikka Nopola (b. 1963) and Tiina Nopola (b. 1971) have been popular in Finland for over 20 years. Now films, plays, and songs that are based on the books are further increasing their popularity.
W&N: Shy Elmer, 2019
W&N: Julia the Schemer, 2018
W&N: The Artist Within, 2017
W&N: Something in Common, 2016
W&N: The Unusual Suspects, 2015
W&N: The Scrooge of Seville, 2014
W&N: The Lookalike, 2013
W&N: Nelli’s Plight, 2012
Illustrated by Christel Rönns
W&N: Wills’ New Dad, 2011
W&N: Star Struck, 2009
W&N: The Last Ice-Cream, 2007
W&N: A Gaming Frenzy, 2006
W&N: Teacher’s Pet, 2004
W&N: The Persistent Pimple, 2003
W&N: Dandy Andy, 2002
W&N: Freezer Fran, 2001
Wills & Nelli, 2000
Wills McFinn and the Horrible Sausage, 1998
Wills McFinn, 1997
Illustrated by Aino Havukainen & Sami Toivonen
120pp
Colour illustrated
Age: 8+
Finnish PDF
Series synopsis
Arabic (Dar Al Saqi)
Brazilian (Sds Editora)
Bulgarian (Faber)
Danish (Turbine)
Danish (Carlsen)
Estonian (Varrak)
Finnish, Sámi (Abc-Company)
French (Pocket Jeunesse), six book deal
Hungarian (Cerkabella)
Japanese (Komine Shoten)
Latvian (Zvaigzne)
Lithuanian (Nieko Rimto)
Polish (Foksal)
Slovenian (Sodobnost)
Spanish (Santillana)
Swedish (Bonnier Carlsen)
Turkish (Altin Kitaplar)
“The enduring popularity of Wills reflects the fact that Sinikka and Tiina have managed to keep their readership happy… the Nopolas are masters of charming storytelling and skillful language.” — Savon Sanomat newspaper