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Astrid Lindgren

Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002) was born in Sweden. Her most famous and beloved book, Pippi Longstocking, was originally published in Swedish in 1945 and has since been translated into 80 languages. It was followed by two sequels, Pippi Goes on Board and Pippi in the South Seas.
The success of Pippi Longstocking led to a rapid growth of the publishing house Rabén & Sjögren, where Astrid Lindgren took over responsibility for children's book publishing and thus had dual roles: she was a writer in the mornings and an editor in the afternoons.

Astrid Lindgren had a long and prolific career, writing songs, screenplays, 34 chapter books, and 41 picture books. Her works have sold a staggering 170 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 100 languages.

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, a literary prize established in her memory, has been awarded annually since 2003. The prize is worth five million SEK, making it the world’s largest international award for children and young adult literature.

What Students Will Be Reading: Campus Common Reading Roundup, 2025-26

With the fall semester in full swing, colleges and universities around the country have announced their Common Reading books for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year. We’ve compiled a list of over 286 programs and their title selections from publicly available sources, which you can download here: First-Year Reading 2025-26. We will continue to update this

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Register for the 2026 Penguin Random House First-Year Experience® Conference Author Events!

Penguin Random House Author Events at the 45th Annual First-Year Experience® Conference February 15-18, 2026 Seattle, Washington Hyatt Regency Seattle Click Here to RSVP A complimentary meal and a limited number of books will be available to attendees. Each event will also be followed by an author signing. Interested in hosting one of these authors at

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2026 Catalog for First-Year & Common Reading

We are delighted to present our new First-Year & Common Reading Catalog for 2026! From award-winning fiction, poetry, memoir, and biography to new books about the environment, current events, history, public health, science, social justice, student success, and technology, the titles presented in our common reading catalog will have students not only eagerly flipping through

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