THE BIG BANQUET (KNÄCKARBANKETTEN)

Little Amund, whose biggest dream is owning a pair of shoes, works in duke Ludbert’s enormous kitchen. Tasked with feeding the pigs leftovers from duke Ludbert’s table, everyone refers to Amund as the swine boy. And there are a lot of leftovers. The duke’s youngest daughter, Ottilia, looks on in disgust as the court indulges in excesses. Ottilia spends her days embroidering dreadful monsters and dreaming of freedom.

One day, duke Ludbert decides to throw a huge party – a banquet that will go on for three days and three nights with two hundred unique dishes per day and fancy guests from near and far. A proper big banquet! But the duke’s jealous twin brother plans to sabotage the feast…

Soon, Amund and Ottilia are drawn into a dangerous and thrilling adventure involving disdainful dukes, conniving pugs, combative hares, hideous beasts and a giant, poetic dog. Together, Sara B. Elfgren and Emil Maxén have created a richly illustrated tale that can be enjoyed either read aloud or quietly.

140 pages

Rights

Denmark: ABC Forlag
Italy: LupoGuido
North Macedonia: Bata Press
The Faroe Islands: Bókadeildin Føroya Læraraferlags
Sweden: Rabén & Sjögren

REVIEWS

“A cornucopia of beautiful, strange and remarkable words (…) delivers on a Harry Potter-level”
Bogoplevelsen /DK

“For a long time to come I will remember The Big Banquet‘s jubilant final scene when the monsters and freaks pour into the city.”
Expressen / SWE

“The Big Banquet by Sara B. Elfgren and Emil Maxén evokes the fairytales of H.C. Andersen”
Blekinge Läns Tidning / SWE

“Charming and brutal baroque fantasy with a fresh take on the classic elements of the folk tale.”
Gotlands Allehanda / SWE

“Wonderful, exciting and masterfully illustrated!”
5/5, Jennies boklista, blog  / SWE

“even an adult will read with joy.”
Kulturkollo.se, blog

“A delightful, thrilling and bold fairytale”
Sofies bokblogg

“How wonderful it is to read a newly written fairytale that manages to invoke the magic of the classic fairytale, but in an improved version.”
Boktokig

“Don’t miss this book where you will encounter headless men, a bishop-fish, large meat-eating hares, a basilisk, a giant dog and sciapods – and plenty of exciting and fun adventures.”
Västmanländskans bokblogg

“Sara B. Elfgren and illustrator Emil Maxén have created an intriguing adventure”
Annas bokblogg

“A thrilling story, subversive and with a moral. The illustrations (…) are so full of details that you discover something new with every look.”
Barnsidan.se

“Once upon a time … duke Ludbert decides to throw a huge party – a banqute that will go on for three days and three nights with 600 unique dishes, and which his twin brother plans to do everything to sabotage. This is the opening in the artistic tale The Big Banquet. /…/ a complex genre that Sara B. Elfgren masters with ease (…) This is an entertaining story suitable for reading out loud for all ages (…) Emil Maxén (…) has a knack for the absurd and creates memorable characters and creatures in colour as well as black and white.”
5 of 5, BTJ / SWE

“Reading The Big Banquet is a pure delight – this book is a celebration of imagination and storytelling.”
Kommunalarbetaren / SWE

“An enchanting and funny fairytale that feels like a classic, and yet it is unlike anything you have read before.”
@soderhamnsbibblan, Library Account, blog / SWE

“Perfect for reading aloud to children of all ages”
@bokfylla, blog / SWE

“witty (…) marvellous illustrations (…) a fairytale that will stay with us for many years to come.”
@bokvargar, blog / SWE

“I really believe in this book”
Romeo And Juliet, blog / SWE

“Is it possible to renew the fairytale genre? Yes, Sara and Emil has created a book that will thrill and entertain young and older readers alike.”
och dagarna går …, blog / SWE

“A story with classic fairytale ingredients (…) But also more unexpected content; loyalty between siblings, a budding revolution and plenty of fun details”
Boklus Lund, blog / SWE

“What a glorious feeling it is to snuggle up with a real fairytale. A wonderful and exciting story that is perfectly matched by lovely illustrations.”
Villa Freja, blog / SWE

“The Big Banquet is a true reading adventure.”
Ugglan och boken, blog / SWE