Illustrator(s)
Pasi Pitkänen
Publication date
2015
Publisher
WSOY
Format info
approx. 100 pages, four-colour illustrations

Kepler62 2: The Countdown

Kirja kaksi: Lähtölaskenta

The story of the children on planet Kepler62 continues…

Children from all over the world are trying to complete the game. Marie, the fourteen-year-old daughter of a wealthy arms manufacturer in Norway, uses unorthodox methods to win. But what is her prize? Marie is flown to Area 51 in Nevada, where she’s recruited into a select group of children who are leaving earth to investigate and settle on a faraway planet believed to be capable of supporting life. Area 51 certainly lives up to its reputation. Upon arrival Marie finds a Whisperer, an imprisoned alien. The Whisperer warns her against going on the space voyage. But it’s no longer a choice for Marie…

An award-winning series about a group of children who are sent away to investigate whether the distant planet Kepler62 is capable of sustaining life, because earth’s resources are diminishing at an alarmingly fast rate. Their story is gripping and moves from one book to the next with cliff-hangers at the end of each instalment.

Schedule

Series 1: Kepler62
Book 1: The Invitation, 2015
Book 2: The Countdown , 2015
Book 3: The Voyage , 2016
Book 4: The Pioneers, 2016
Book 5: The Virus, 2017
Book 6: The Secret, 2017

Season 2: Kepler62 The New World
Book 1: Two Tribes, 2018
Book 2: The Island, 2019
Book 3: The Whisperer’s Lair, 2019
Book 4: The Cave, 2020
Book 5: Gaia, 2020

Season 3: Keper62 Terra
Book 1: The Clones, 2021
Book 2: Heart 2022

Format

128pp
4-colour illustrations
Age: 9+

Series rights sold

Albanian (Mediaprint)
Bulgarian (Janet45)
Chinese, simplified (Mysterium/Guangxi Normal University Press Group Co.)
Czech (Host)
Danish (Bogoo)
Dutch (Clavis)
English US & Canada (Arctic Books USA)
Estonian (Ajakirjade kirjastus/HeaLugu)
Faroese (Bókadeildin)
French (Nathan)
German (Kosmos)
Hungarian (Pagony)
Icelandic (Bókabeitan)
Korean (Jaeum&Moeum)
Latvian (Zvaigzne ABC)
Netherlands (Clavis)
Norwegian (Piggsvin)
Polish (Widnokrąg)
Romanian (Humanitas Junior)
Russian (Rozovy Zhiraf /Pink Giraffe)
Slovenian (Skrivnost Zalozba)
Spanish (Grupo SM)
Swedish (Bonnier Carlsen)
Turkish (Can Publishing)
Ukranian (BookChef)

Reading materials

English translation (set in layout)
Finnish edition
Norwegian translation (set in layout)

Editions in: Czech, Dutch, Estonian, Faroese, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Icelandic, Korean, Latvian, Norwegian, Turkish and Spanish

Reviews

“The details and the plot of Parvela and Sortland’s ambitious series are carefully polished. The series gets off to such a flying start that you are powerless to resist the pull of its most extraordinary world.” Savon sanomat newspaper

“Right from the very first book, Parvela and Sortland bring up many themes that add depth to their dystopia, while the book still remains primarily an entertaining and fast-moving novel. In this case, the entertainment and fast-moving plot are advantages as Kepler 62 also draws in children who tend not to enjoy books. But bookworms shall also enjoy the collaboration between Parvela, Sortland and Pitkänen. After all, who doesn’t love a well-written adventure?” Lumiomena blog

“Pasi Pitkänen’s illustrations are a major part of the book and in places the particularly dark pictures, which speak volumes, create powerful additional tension alongside the text. […] [The illustrations] are so well-placed within the text and are so successful that the pictures immediately catch the reader’s eye, move the story forward and, at the most exciting parts, even send a shiver down your spine…” Nuorille ja naperoille children’s book blog

Praise from foreign publishers

“We’ve been looking for an illustrated series that is full of suspense, easy to read and will capture the imaginations of reluctant readers, and KEPLER62 is a perfect fit!”– Cécile Verdier, Nathan, France

Awards and nominations

ARKs Barnebokpriz Prize