Publisher's Synopsis
When reading, you often have the feeling that embarking on a new story is like embarking on a journey. Maybe you think you know where you're going, or maybe you're just happy to discover the way, little by little, step by step. What will it be like? Who do you want to meet? Will the trip be exciting, boring, fun or scary - and where will it end? Is it dangerous? Are there dragons?
All the authors in Right Here take you on a journey, and they are all, quite as you might expect, different. The authors come from 14 different countries and write in 11 different languages, some write about places they know well, others invent extraordinary worlds of pure imagination. In other stories, the boundaries between reality and fantasy may not be so clear. No one can really tell you what you will find when you explore the stories in this book.
Along the way you might meet a girl looking for a new name, talking animals, invisible grandparents or a trio of insomniac sisters, some brave refugees and a chosen one on an important mission. (But watch out for the crackling ones, they are quite unpleasant). Maybe you'll experience an adventure high up on the city's rooftops, visit mysterious libraries and explore houses full of miracles you never imagined, or maybe there's a cabin in a tree and time travel and ... a wildly embarrassing Christmas sweater? There's only one way to find out.
Stories aren't always easy. Often they demand something from their readers. They ask you to be fearless, to take risks, to follow. Surrender to them, trust them. Stories ask you to believe something you've never believed before. They ask you to be generous, honest, welcoming, they ask you to imagine what it's like to be another person, in another world, to imagine exactly how that feels. Because when you're inside a story, you could be anyone, anywhere for those few, weird, magical minutes. I have always thought that it takes courage to be a reader.
In 2017, Aarhus is the European Capital of Culture. As part of the festivities, Hay Festival - The International Children's Literature Festival Aarhus 39 and their friends have selected 39 of Europe's best children's and youth book authors, and we are happy and proud to be able to present a total of 17 new stories from their hand in this book. The most wonderful stories can come from anywhere in the world, and wherever they come from, they love to travel in search of new readers. That's what I hope, Right here will show you.