Vuokko Hurme: Upside Down, Rotation #1

“We fell for what seemed like forever, the wind lashed our faces, and the white clouds drew closer.”

Author: Vuokko Hurme
Finnish original: Kiepaus
Publisher: S&S, 2017
Genre: Children’s fiction, middle grade
Number of pages: 248 pp.
Reading material: Finnish original, English sample, English synopsis
Rights sold: Estonia, Rahva Raamat; Turkey, CAN

Lenna has lived all of her eight years in a city called Kardum. Kardum used to be a normal city just like any other, but long before Lenna was born, the world turned upside down.

The earth is now where the sky used to be. And there is a dizzying drop into nothingness where the ground used to be.

The incident that everyone refers to as “The Rotation” has changed everything, but people have learned to get along in their upside down world. They move from house to house – between the ones that are left – with the help of ropes and special gear. They enjoy simple lives without running water or electricity.

In fact, Lenna and her best friend Jaan have just the right amount of fun and excitement in their cosy homes and lives in Kardum – until the supply of fresh water begins to run out.

What will happen to Lenna and her family, to her mother, father, little sister, and her pet chicken? Will they have the courage to look for a future in another world that may be somewhere below them – in the sky?

Upside Down  is the first book in Vuokko Hurme’s new children’s fantasy series The Rotation . The second book, Right-Side Up, was published in 2018.

Also available:
Rotation #2: Right-Side Up (2018) 
Rotation #3: About-Turn (2019)

The Hues #1: Ruby’s Secret (2020)
The Hues #2: The Many-Coloured Mansion (2021)
The Hues #3: The Shadow Guest (2022)
The Hues #4: Danger at the Colour Spa (2022) 

About the author:
Vuokko Hurme