It is time for Valleby’s yearly carpentry competition! Beautiful birdhouses have been built, and everyone is welcome to guess who built which one. But how on earth should they decide which is the prettiest? That must be for the birds to judge! Everyone gathers in the park and waits for the birds’ choice. Rune wants the carrier pigeons to arrive, so that he can get his hands on stamps from the letters. Barbro is hoping for an artistic bird. Who will stand as the victor?

Martin Widmark and Helena Willis’ bestselling series continues with more fun activities and stories for the young readers. JerryMaya’s Activity Book: One Bird in Every Nest contains not only a brand-new story from Valleby, but also tricky challenges to solve. Crack those, and a medal awaits!

Martin Widmark’s The Masquerade Mystery stays put at No. 1 on the children’s fiction list for the second consecutive week.

Alex Ahndoril’s I Will Find the Key, the first installment in the Key series, shoots to No. 1 on the hardcover list this week. Meanwhile, Jens Lapidus’ Dead Man Walking stays put at No. 2. On the children’s fiction list, Martin Widmark’s The Masquerade Mystery claims the No. 1 spot.

Martin Widmark and Helena Willis’ The JerryMaya Detective Agency series has just reached a whopping 10 million copies sold in Sweden alone. Last year, the series was the third most sold in Sweden among all genres and age groups.

For over 20 years, the books about Jerry, Maya, and the other inhabitants of the town of Valleby have been immensely popular among Swedish children, as well as abroad. Each new installment goes straight to the top of the bestseller list, and with over 50 books in the universe, Valleby is a place for children to revisit again and again.

Jens Lapidus’ Dead Man Walking jumps to No. 2 on the official bestseller list for hardcovers this week. Meanwhile, Martin Widmark’s The Dinosaur Mystery and The Masquerade Mystery stays put at No. 1 and No. 3 on the children’s books list.

Martin Widmark occupies three of the top spots on the children’s books list this week. First, at No. 1, is The Dinosaur Mystery, followed by The Masquerade Mystery at No. 3, and The Birthday Mystery at No. 4.

The clever Bacon brothers are a bit younger than Jerry and Maya, and they are The JerryMaya Detective Agency’s biggest fans! The Bacon brothers solve slightly nicer crimes, but in The Secret Key they are given a tricky challenge. The brothers find a mysterious key and no one knows where it leads. It can lead almost anywhere!

Everyone in Valleby seem to have issues with their keys. Muhammed Karat has been locked out of his store, Frida at the animal store cannot get to the animal food, and Fransy Vik has lost the key to her locker by the swimming pool. The Bacon brothers have to use their best detective knowledge to be able to help the town.

The Secret Key is the third installment in the Stories from Valleby series, perfect for the beginner reader!

The shortlists for the Swedish Storytel Awards of 2024 are now available and open for the public’s vote.

Among those competing for the title of best Suspense title are Hjorth & Rosenfeldt with The Guilt You Carry, and Jo Nesbø with Killing Moon. In the Feelgood category Simona Ahrnstedt vies for the top spot with An Unthinkable Fate. Lastly, the Children’s category sees Martin Widmark and The Dinosaur Mystery face up against among else David Sundin‘s The Audiobook That Did Not Want To End – Part 4, from the same universe as The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read.

The nominees for this year’s Icelandic Storytel Awards have been announced. 

The Storytel Awards are an annual event that highlights the best audio books of the year. The awards are granted within five categories: Suspense, Fiction, Non-fiction, YA & Children’s books, and Feelgood.

Yrsa Sigurdardóttir’s Forget Me Not is nominated in the Suspense category, whilst Jørn Lier Horst’s The Cabin is featured in the Fiction books award. 

Martin Widmark’s The Racecourse Mystery is in the running for the Children’s books award, and Just a Bit More by Simona Ahrnstedt is nominated within the Feelgood category.

Readers will be able to vote for their favorite titles, after which a jury will pick a winner among the five candidates with the most votes in each category.

SF Studios has announced that a new feature film about The JerryMaya Detective Agency will premiere in movie theaters this fall. The movie is based on Martin Widmark and Helena Willis’ exceptionally popular book series of the same name, now featuring a new, adventurous mystery.

Tina Mackic is once again set to direct, and Maria Nohra can be found among the cast members, playing a significant role.

Filming for The JerryMaya Detective Agency – The Mascot Who Disappeared will begin in March, and the premiere date has been set to October 2024.

Dimmed Lights, Kristina Ohlsson’s third novel in the August Strindberg series, shoots to No. 1 on the paperback bestseller list of the week. Martin Widmark’s Christmas in Valleby: Boxing Day, meanwhile appears at No. 4 on the children’s list.

The nominees for the 2023 Adlibris Awards have been announced. Adlibris is the leading book retailer in the Nordics and the award was founded in 2019 to celebrate the site’s biggest titles. The nominated works have been selected by a jury of Adlibris employees, but the winners will be voted forth by the public. The winning titles will be announced on January 25, 2024.

In the category “Fiction of the Year,” Niklas Natt och Dag competes with Hope and Destiny.

In “Children’s Book of the Year, Ages 0-6,” Sarah Sheppard and David Sundin have both received a nomination. Sheppard for her Animals of the City, and Sundin for his You Must Be QUIET Now!.

Lastly, in the category “Children’s Book of the Year, Ages 6-12,” Martin Widmark vies for the winning title with The Dinosaur Mystery.