The Swedish government has given the National Agency for Education and the Swedish Art Council the mission to create a reading list of fictional works. The list is intended to serve as a resource for teachers in their education. An independent reference group of experts in literature and education has contributed to the preparation of the list.

The list includes Emma Karinsdotter’s Unscientific Studies: Nine Pieces of Evidence for Things That Likely Never Happened with the following motivation:

“The humorous, the absurd and the grotesque all come together here, and the illustrations are essential to the whole. After reading it, further studies in the same spirit can begin.”

The list also includes Moa Backe Åstot’s YA novel Fire From the Sky. The motivation reads as follows:

“A sensitive story about how two young people tentatively and passionately approach each other. At the same time, a fiery confrontation with Sweden’s colonial history.”

Emma Karinsdotter’s Unscientific Studies: Nine Pieces of Evidence for Things That Likely Never Happened is once again featured as one of 2023’s best children’s titles in three Swedish newspapers. This time, it is Dagens Nyheter’s, Smålandsposten’s, and Upsala Nya Tidning’s teams of critics who have listed their top picks of children’s books of the year, with the following motivations:

“A senselessly funny short story collection which begins with happily hungry cannibalism. /…/ The combination of Emma Karinsdotter’s absurd stories and Marcus-Gunnar Pettersson’s wild illustrations is unusually successful, they enhance each other’s madness.”
Dagens Nyheter

“Nine imaginative, thought-provoking, and perceptively illustrated short stories about everything from a dad whose fingers turn into sausages to a milk tooth that speaks in first person. It is bizarre, unexpected, weird, gross, leaves space for seriousness but most of all it is fun. The whole spectrum from cunning to laughing out loud.”
Smålandsposten

“The most twisted book of the year? Wonderfully weird short stories, illustrated with an equal portion of creativity. The letters literally jump on the pages (…) and when the father’s fingers start smelling like sausages, there is no end to the absurdism. Read aloud and be enthused!”
Upsala Nya Tidning

Emma Karinsdotter’s Unscientific Studies: Nine Pieces of Evidence for Things That Likely Never Happened and Moa Backe Åstot’s Flutters of the Heart are both featured on Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan’s list of the best children’s books of the year. The list is put together by critics, listing their favorites from 2023. The motivations read as follows:

Unscientific Studies: Nine Pieces of Evidence for Things That Likely Never Happened, for Best Chapter books:
“A unique collection of short stories about strange things that could happen to you. Life is not always easy, but it definitely feels simpler when reading Emma Karinsdotter’s absurd and ingenious stories, enhanced by Marcus-Gunnar Pettersson’s one-of-a-kind and humoristic illustrations.”

Flutters of the Heart, for Best Young Adult novel:
“In her second and wonderful YA novel, Moa Backe Åstot continues to explore what being Sámi means to today’s young Sámi.”

A letter arrives, inviting Lisbet’s granny The Samba King to attend a pear-ent meeting at Pear School. Granny immediately decides that if everyone will go as a pear, she will of course go as an orange instead. Lisbet panics when she realizes that the pear-ent thing is just a play on words – no one else will be wearing a costume! And in Pear School the principal makes a big deal about fitting in. What if granny’s crazy antics means Lisbet will be kicked out of school?!

An orange among pears is an hilarious, zany and heartwarming story about wanting to fit in, and about having a granny who always wants to do the opposite of everyone else. Here comes a shorter and more easy-to-read book set in Emma Karinsdotter’s colorful Lisbet and The Samba King-universe, perfect for children who want to read themselves about the adventures of these beloved characters.

Christmas is just around the corner and the entire class at Pear School simply cannot wait. But neither Lisbet nor her best friend Hanin celebrate Christmas – they don’t even know how. Lisbet grows ever more excited about celebrating a Real Christmas this year. Problem is, her granny the Samba King hates traditions with a passion and wants to do everything her own way. Someone who on the contrary knows exactly how Christmas ought to be celebrated is their next-door neighbor. Unfortunately, he just so happens to be grumpiest old man in the world (who’s also potentially a catnapper!). How will Lisbet dare to approach him to get hold of his expert knowledge?

In A Happy Dissmas we return to Emma Karinsdotter’s beloved, vibrant and zany universe that encourages children to have the confidence to be themselves.

Lisbet lives with her granny the Samba King and the stern pirate cat Sixten in an ordinary house on an ordinary street. But beneath the ordinary surface, there’s more to the story: the Samba King is a former secret agent that holds the world record in just about anything, if you ask her. Lisbet loves living with her granny – it’s a riot! But sometimes the Samba King gets to be a bit too much even for Lisbet, making her think that it would be nice to have someone around that’s more like herself. Then one day a postcard arrives, welcoming Lisbet to school. She’ll finally start first grade.

The news has the Samba King acting as if someone has just died: School means the end of summers as they know them and granny fears the dull classes will take Lisbet’s imagination away forever, making her just like everyone else. Together they decide to do as many crazy antics as possible during this last summer of freedom. Secretly, though, Lisbet is rather excited about starting school and finally making a friend of her own…

Lisbet and the Samba King and The School of Hard Knocks are the two first installments in the hilarious, exuberant and norm-creative chapter book series that asks the question: “Do you have the right to be you – even if that means just being ordinary?”

Emma Karinsdotter’s The Isle Of A Thousand Stars has been shortlisted for the 2019 Swedish Radio’s Children’s Novel Award. The Swedish Radio’s Children’s Novel Award is an annual award and the winning author and title will be decided by a jury of children from fifth and sixth grade. The winner will be announced on November 1st.

Emma Karinsdotter (b. 1985) grew up in picturesque Ronneby, the city known as the heart of “The Garden of Sweden.” Before debuting as a children’s books author, Karinsdotter worked in the book and music industry as a project manager, and concert organizer. The Isle of a Thousand Stars is Karinsdotter’s second work: a breathtaking tale of magic, adventure, and finding a way of moving on. A modern-day Astrid Lindgren, Karinsdotter’s authorship has already found a home in the hearts of the new generation.