Timo Parvela is a highly regarded Finnish writer known for his ability to capture the minds and imaginations of young readers through humour and a touch of magic. His books have been widely recognized and have been translated into more than 30 languages, with worldwide sales of over 6 million copies. In addition to several adaptations for theatre and film, Parvela's work is often used in the Finnish school curriculum.
Parvela holds a bachelor's degree in Pedagogy/Education from Jyväskylä University and worked as a primary school teacher for almost a decade before becoming a full-time writer in 1996. His first published work was the young adult novel "About a Boy" (Poika) in 1989, and he has written over 100 books in his career thus far. His most popular and enduring series, "Ella and Friends," has followed the adventures of a primary school class and their teacher in over 30 books (and counting), which have been translated into over 25 languages. Parvela has written over 100 books and his other successful series include the Finlandia Prize-winning "Seesaw Trilogy”, "Purdy & Barker" series, and "Pete" books, as well as the 13-part "Kepler62" series and his newest "Mission Nearly Impossible" series and "Shadows" trilogy. He has also been the recipient of numerous prestigious children's and youth literature awards in Finland, including the Finlandia Junior Prize.
In addition to writing children's literature, Parvela has also composed several plays, award-winning TV series, non-fiction, comic scripts, computer game scripts, short stories, and song lyrics. He is committed to promoting literacy and has created the "Story concerts" concept, which combines live readings from books with music and drama. The "Ella & Friends Story Concerts," organized in collaboration with the Helsinki City Orchestra, sold out the Helsinki Music Hall four times during the Spring of 2018. Parvela has served as the Chair of the Reading Centre and the Authors' Copyright Organisation of Finland (Sanasto), and as a Board Member of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. He is married and has two grown children, and lives in Kirkkonummi, in southern Finland.