I am loving that Amazon Crossing Kids is now translating middle grade novels: first, there was Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup, introducing readers to Kazakhstan folklore. Now, we’ve got a Swedish mystery series that is eerie and atmospheric. Let’s learn a little bit about The Night Raven.
The Night Raven, by Johan Rundberg/Translated by A.A. Prime,
(Nov. 2023, Amazon Crossing Kids), $9.99, ISBN: 9781662509599
Ages 10-14
Set in 1880 Stockholm, Mika is a 12-year-old girl living in an orphanage and answers the door one cold, dark night. A teen boy hands her a newborn baby, murmurs something about a “Dark Angel”, and leaves. When Detective Valdemar Hoff shows up, investigating a murder, Mika – already a very observant and smart young woman – knows something is afoot. Hoff, impressed by Mika’s intelligence and ability to notice details, ends up making Mika his unofficial partner. A gritty Scandinavian crime thriller for a middle school audience, Rundberg touches on social issues including corruption and poverty, indifference and privilege; Mika is a girl who knows how to survive, but she’s always hopeful, a light in the bleak winter darkness. The translation is flawless and the novel is perfectly paced, keeping readers turning pages as they’re drawn into Rundberg’s world. I loved this book so much, I already downloaded the ARC for the next book in the series. An excellent add to upper middle grade/middle school collections.
The Night Raven has starred reviews from The Horn Book and Kirkus.
★“This gripping, fast-paced mystery comes together well, with Mika’s deductions based firmly in logic and connections based in her own clear observations…A thrilling and thoughtful period murder mystery.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
★“This English translation of Rundberg’s lively historical mystery…is something to celebrate…Joyous, funny, suspenseful, and serious—an unusual and winning combination for middle-grade readers. Let’s hope its three sequels appear in [A. A.] Prime’s English translation, too.” —The Horn Book (starred review)
“ It’s a testament to the authors that none of the solutions comes easily — in any good mystery story, truth is a messy and painful business.” —The New York Times Book Review
Johan Rundberg is an award-winning author of children’s books who lives in Stockholm. He has written picture books, early readers, and middle grade, including Kärlekspizzan, Knockad Romeo, and the series Häxknuten. In 2021, he was awarded Sweden’s most prestigious literary prize, the August Prize, in the children’s and YA category for Nattkorpen, the original edition of The Night Raven, which was first written in Swedish. Nattkorpen was also the winner of a Swedish Crimetime Award in the children’s and YA category. There are now four books in this series published in Sweden.
A. A. Prime (Annie Prime) is an award-winning translator of Swedish literature. She was born in London and traveled the world studying a number of languages before settling in the English coastal town of Hastings. She now works full-time as a translator, specializing in the weird, witty, and wonderful world of children’s and young adult fiction. She holds an MA in translation from University College London and has published more than twenty books in the UK and US. In her free time, she can be found belly dancing, folk singing, horse riding, and sea swimming.
Mom Read It 