Ploegsma News top 5 best sold titles of 2015
movie rights sold!
Iris Stobbelaar’s debut novel Stranders will be made into a film by Hollywood director Roel Reiné. Stranders is a real page turner about a boy who wishes his annoying little sister away. When she actually disappears, he is the only one who can bring her back from the terrifying place he has imagined for her... English translation available
from bogota to cologne
In April Janny van der Molen will be in Colombia to promote the Spanish edition of Outside it’s war – Anne Frank and her world. This book was also published in France by Bayard Presse and in Brazil by Rocco. In June she will visit the International Children’s and Young Adult Book Fair in Cologne, to talk about her philosophy book Great thoughts, published in Germany by Gabriel Verlag.
TRANSLATION GRANTS. The Dutch Foundation for Literature supports writers and translators and promotes Dutch literature abroad. Foreign publishers may apply for a subsidy towards translation costs. For information and application forms: Dutch Foundation for Literature, Agnes Vogt, post@letterenfonds.nl, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 89, 1018 VR Amsterdam, T +31 (0)20 520 7300, www.letterenfonds.nl
Ploegsma is a compagny of WPG Children’s Media Wibautstraat 133, 1097 DN Amsterdam, Netherlands rights@ploegsma.nl www.ploegsma.nl Rights manager Luciënne van der Leije lucienne.vanderleije@wpgmedia.nl
PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Alex de Wolf
The story of Hans Brinker: Russian edition / Chinese edition fiction ages 4 and up
It seems a day like any other, when little Hans sets off to visit his grandfather. But then Hans hears the sound of trickling water, and he sees something that would terrify any Dutch child… So begins the famous story of Hans Brinker, the boy who saved his country from a flood by putting his finger in the dike. He keeps this up for a whole night. The story shows that by acting quickly, even the smallest child can become a big hero! The story of Hans Brinker is ‘Dutcher than Dutch’! About the illustrator Alex de Wolf painted typical Dutch landscapes with lots of authentic details to discover in the art work. He initially made these pictures for the Japanese ‘kamishibai’ when he was touring Japan. Praise for ‘The story of Hans Brinker’: ‘Alex de Wolf is highly skilled in painting landscapes. (...) His art has great simplicity, befitting the landscapes and the story. A jolly and refreshing book.’ – Jaap Friso at www.jaapleest.nl
BOLOGNA 2016
Original title: Het verhaal van Hans Brinker Full colour | 21,3 x 25,5 cm | 32 pages www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl
• The ultimate Dutch picture book! • Now available in 4 languages
PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Jette Schröder fiction ages 7 and up
Lieke series: Lieke in the lead / Lieke’s animal rescue / Lieke in love
• Playful, creative art work by ivan & ilia • Short chapters • Contains notes, pages from a friendship book etc.
Lieke is a girl of about 9 years old. Together with her best friends Eva and Sam she deals with the things most 7 to 10 year-old girls deal with: school, friendship, being jealous, having a fight and making up, being in love… The author has a light tone of voice, and apart from all the fun also delicately broaches sensitive subjects, like a parent with burn-out. Lieke is honest, loyal, kind, happy, but also insecure at times: a girl everybody would want to be friends with! Jette Schröder (28) totally captures the spirit of the age group. Praise for the Lieke series: ‘There’s never a dull moment in Lieke in the lead.’ – Leesfeest ‘Jette Schröder has hit bull’s eye with this series: cheerful, jolly books for girls like the she used to be herself when she was young. The story is light, with the occasional more serious twist. But always in a way that suits the age group.’ – Marlous Flier in Dagblad de Limburger
BOLOGNA 2016
Original titles: Lieke in de hoofdrol / Lieke redt de dieren / Lieke is verliefd 14,2 x 21,3 cm | 96 pages www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl
‘New series for girls has lots of potential.’ – Hebban.nl ‘You’d almost think Jette Schröder is a classmate of Lieke’s herself, the way she knows what goes on in school girls’ minds. […] A very jolly and cheerful new series for girls.’ – Boekenbijlage.nl ‘What a delightful new title in this fantastic series for girls! Lieke is sweet, positive and creative, she’s always willing to help others and is allergic to injustice.’ – Boekenbijlage.nl ‘Lieke’s animal rescue is another great book about Lieke.’ – chicklit.nl **** [4 sterren]
PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Reggie Naus
Trubble the troll: The sword of Thingy fiction ages 8 and up
• Third book in the series • Great reviews • Black and white illustrations by Kees de Boer
Trubble has to appear before the Troll Council, all the way up North. His human friends Pippin and Sarah go along, though their father hasn’t allowed it. After an adventurous journey Trubble and his friends arrive in the North, to find that the real adventure is still waiting for them. The Troll Council is displeased that Trubble has befriended human beasts, which is against troll rules. As a punishment they give him a dangerous mission: to steal the sword of the evil wizard Fabinoc… er, Fibona… er… Thingy.
BOLOGNA 2016
Original title: Trubbel de trol – Het zwaard van Dinges 15 x 22 cm | 112 pages www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl
Praise for the previous Trubble books: ‘Put this at the top of your reading list.’ – Jaapleest.nl ‘It regularly made me laugh out loud.’ – author Edward van de Vendel
PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Marjon Hoffman Shopaholic sheik fiction ages 9 and up
• Black and white illustrations by Annet Schaap • Funny story about materialism vs happiness
Narous’ father is an incredibly rich Dubai sheik. A shopaholic sheik! He has already bought a race track, a plane, countless race cars and horses and much, much more… One day he announces that he wishes to buy a zoo. That’s the limit for Narous’ mother. She suggests a bet: if her husband can live like a normal person for 100 days, he can have his zoo. And so the family move to a normal house with only one servant. Everything changes for Narous and her sister. Suddenly they go to school, they eat ordinary things, like chips, and they play with other children. Narous absolutely loves her new life, but the 100 days are passing quickly…
BOLOGNA 2016
Original title: De dochters van sjeik Boul-Boul 15 x 22 cm | 120 pages www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl
Praise for this book: ‘A good story, told in a very funny way.’ – Nederlands Dagblad ‘A deliciously funny book. We really recommend it.’ – Plantage Bookshops
PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Danny De Vos Access denied fiction ages 10 and up
• Contemporary subject, classic theme • Told from the inside
Nick and his parents go on an all-inclusive holiday to Greece. But the holiday spirit isn’t the same as previous years, because the island is swarming with refugees. Nick’s dad is very negative about them: according to him they are all terrorists, and all they want is to profit from the wealth of the west. Then Nick meets a refugee boy. They see each other in secret somewhere near the hotel. As well as they can manage in their broken English, the boys come up with a brilliant plan: they will change places for one day, to give the young refugee a chance to properly relax. The plan works out, but then Nick gets caught in the throng of refugees leaving the island… Danny De Vos based this story on conversations he had with a 16-year old Afghan boy who came to Europe all by himself, and other young refugees.
BOLOGNA 2016
Original title: Toegang geweigerd 14,5 x 21,8 cm | 160 pages
To be published in April 2016 www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl
PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Mina Witteman
Boreas and the seven seas / Boreas and the thousand islands
fiction ages 10 and up
When his parents tell him the family are going to sail around the world for a year, Boreas is not at all keen on this idea. Things brighten up a bit when his best friend is allowed to sail with them during the summer holidays. When she goes back home, Boreas has to make up his mind: should he go as well and stay with his grandparents till his parents come back, or is this sailing business actually a lot more fun than he thought it would be…? In the second book Boreas sails from Portugal via Morocco to the Caribbean. Another adventurous journey!
BOLOGNA 2016
Original titles: Boreas en de zeven zeeën / Boreas en de duizend eilanden 14,5 x 21,8 cm | 220 pages English sample available www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl
• Adventurous and informative • First two books in a series Praise for the first Boreas book: ‘You experience the wind and the waves as if you’re on the boat yourself. Action, tragedy, fun and fear: this book has it all. And breathlessness, but mainly for the reader. Because it’s a book you cannot put down. It makes no difference whether you like sailing or not, whether you’re a boy or a girl, a man or a woman. No one will regret choosing this book.’ – Boekenbijlage.nl Average rating on Goodreads: 4.5 out of 5 stars!
PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Barbara Scholten Football girls fiction ages 10 and up
Football is the most important thing in Mila’s life. She’s in a team together with her best friend, Dunya, who is the goalie. To Mila, school is mainly a place where she can play football during the breaks. Mila’s biggest fan is her granddad; he goes to all her matches. He has even arranged a second hand goal for them, for the field around the corner. But then Hank and his friends discover it, and the fight over the field breaks out… These books are a great mix of sports, friendship and the personal life of the main characters.
BOLOGNA 2016
Original titles: Voetbalgekke meiden / Voetbalgekke meiden: Tikkie terug 14,5 x 21,8 cm | 220 pages www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl
• Football very popular with girls • First two titles in a new series
PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Janny van der Molen
Heroes! People who made the world a better place
faction ages 10 and up
• New edition including Malala Yousafzai, Maria Montessori and Arthur Schindler • An important book in these troubled times • Over 12,000 copies sold! • Faction: fiction mixed with fact
Everyone can be a hero. You too. If all of us are a tiny bit heroic, together we’ll make the world a whole lot better. What do you say: give it a go? Everyone can be a hero, but some people are true ‘super heroes’. People like Nelson Mandela, Florence Nightingale, Mahatma Gandhi or Anne Frank, who stood up for the rights of others, or kept on believing in the goodness of mankind in spite of the gruesome reality. Heroes such as these can be an important inspiration for readers of all ages. For this edition two typically Dutch heroes were replaced by the more internationally known Malala Yousafzai and Nkosi Johnson. Mother Theresa was replaced by Maria Montessori.
Also by Janny van der Molen: About angels, gods and heroes – Stories from the five world religions Read the main stories from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, discover that some of these religions have more in common than you would expect. book to help us understand other better!
Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Charles Dickens, Mikhail Gorbachev, Anne Frank, Aletta Jacobs, Martin Luther King & Barack Obama, Florence Nightingale, Malala Yousafzai, Maria Montessori and Nkosi Johnson.
BOLOGNA 2016
Original title: Helden! Mensen die de wereld mooier maakten Full colour | 16,5 x 23,5 cm | 400 pages To be published in September 2016 www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl
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PLOEGSMA BOOKS
Sanderijn van der Doef The puberty book non-fiction ages 12 and up
• Revised edition • 50,000 copies sold! • Full colour art work by Marian Latour
The puberty book has been a steady seller for over 10 years. Because of developments in smart phones, social media and even health recommendations, it was time to revise this highly successful title. And not just the information; as fashion has changed, also part of the art work was redone. Sanderijn van der Doef is one of Holland’s leading sexologists, and she is the expert on sexuality and children. Her books were translated into German, Danish and Portuguese. Sanderijn currently lives in China, working for the World Population Foundation.
BOLOGNA 2016
Original title: Het puberboek Full colour | 14,5 x 22 cm | 128 pages To be published in June 2016 www.ploegsma.nl rights@ploegsma.nl