Shadows trilogy
This icy-cool thrilling adventure for 10+ readers weaves a dense web of darkness around the most iconic of the Northern myths; the Santa Claus. Kindness is at the heart of this story but it is under severe threat from dark forces gathering strength in the Northern realm of Santa.
Shadows: Book 1. The Jingle
The warmth of Christmas is in real danger of becoming nothing more than a distant memory to us all…
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Pete is thirteen years old and desperate. His best friend Sara is dying of an illness that has no cure. In a last act of sheer desperation, Pete finds himself lining up with kindergartners in the department store to whisper a wish in the fake Santa’s ear. He feels like a fool for doing it. Yet, that night, he is offered a chance to have his wish realized. But only if he gives something in return; his shadow. A gift for a gift – nothing apparently to do with being good like he’d thought. Pete only hesitates for a second, for in exchange for Sara’s life, Pete would give anything. And it is only a shadow, it’s not like he even pays that much attention to it. With his shadow gone, Pete realizes he has lost a lot more than he thought. As Pete learns more about the world’s most guarded secret, it becomes chillingly clear to him that the warmth of Christmas will soon become nothing more than a distant memory…
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The ominous jingle of a bell starts off an adventure trilogy, where the world of Santa Claus and his elves is revealed to be something very different from what we imagined.
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In Shadows, Timo Parvela taps onto the most renowned myth of the North to take 10+ readers on a truly chilling adventure.
Shadows: Book 2. Auroria
The gates to Santa’s world are opened!
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Pete and Sara find the secret gateway to Auroria, the land of Father Christmas, but it is a far cry from what they expected:
Imagine an elf village. Cute cottages with frosted windows. Imagine reindeer, red-cheeked elves and the jingle of the bells. And then forget it all. It’s just a fairy tale.
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The darkness has descended upon Auroria. The previously harmonious elves, earthlings, imps, trolls and giants, are now at odds with each other. Who should Pete and Sara trust? And what secrets are revealed from Santa’s old notebook?
Shadows: Book 3. Krampus
Are shadows taking over the world?
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The thriller-like adventure series comes to an end when Pete and Sara return from Auroria to the human world and find a distorted reality.
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People have lost their shadows and the world has become the kind of place where people only care for themselves. Krampus stirs anger around him, and its roar cannot be covered by the gentle tinkle of bells.
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But the friends don’t give up hope, as old Santa Claus has left it to them to find him a successor. With the help of the mysterious bells they must save not only their own world but also the kingdom of Auroria. But what form has Krampus taken in the human world and how can the lord of the shadows be defeated?
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The Shadows trilogy has been incredibly well received all over the world and its rights have already been sold to several countries.
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Parvela knows how to write engagingly for young readers who read little or avoid books. There is nothing superfluous, and the plot never stalls for a moment.
Statement of the Arvid Lydecken Prize Jury
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I’m really in love with Shadows! It’s such a thrilling, powerful, suspenseful story... I love how Timo interweaves traditional folk tales and literary motifs to a modern story with recent cultural references. These are the kind of books that make me feel proud to work in children’s publishing, really!
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We love everything about SHADOWS: the theme of trading your shadow, the swift storytelling and the fantastic illustrations. A chilling must read for 10+!