Books for Ages 10+ for Long Winter Evenings
A town that vanishes every night, a book that breathes and a villa about to be torn down: three series by Nilly for readers aged 10 and up.
When it gets dark early outside, it is the perfect time for stories you can’t put down. These three series by Nilly are written for children aged 10 and up and work well for reading together, too.
The City That Vanishes Every Night
The night after Grandma dies, the lid of the old well in the courtyard lifts. Out climb a patched paper lantern, a kettle on three crooked legs and two wooden sandals. Emi is twelve, comes from Hamburg and only believes what she can prove. But behind the well lies Yoimachi, a town made of old things that wakes every night and vanishes from every map at sunrise.
Book 1, “The Mountain Above Tokyo”, is out now. You can read the first chapter for free on the series page.
The Book of the Wind
Ever since Grandpa Faris died, Emil has lived in his crooked old house by the sea. In the attic he finds a book that is warm and breathes. It carries him aboard the Nauras, to Sinbad the Sailor himself. Together with Leyla from next door, he has to find six winds before the summer is over.
The English edition of Book 1, “The Curse of the Forgotten Pirate”, is expected on 5 November 2026, followed by Book 2 on 26 November and Book 3 on 17 December. More on the Book of the Wind page.
Blackwood
Friday, 18 August 1989: an orange notice is pinned to the door of the Blackwood Villa, demolition begins 1 September. Leo, Maya, Oscar and Zoe refuse to accept it. In the closed-off attic they suspect the estate of Captain Gabriel Vance, who set out on a walk in 1888 and never came back.
Books 1 and 2 are available, and Book 3, “The Green Door”, is expected on 22 November 2026. More on the Blackwood page.
