Welcome to Barfotaböcker Publishing

”​Rock to the East is a fast-paced fantasy adventure you won’t want to miss!”

CHILDREN’S BOOK CLUB
(BARNEN​S BOKKLUBB)/
ABOUT ROCK TO THE EAST
RELEASED IN ENGLISH  
APRIL 2026

”​The language is well crafted, at times truly beautiful, and often carries a timeless tone that suits the genre well. Swing to the South and North is an excellent fantasy tale with engaging themes 
Overall rating: 5 ”

BTJ
(SWEDISH LIBARY SERVICES)
ABOUT ROCK TO THE SOUTH AND NORTH 
ENGLISH RELEASE 
SPRING 2027

”​The atmosphere brings to mind the classic Mio, My Son.”

BTJ
(SWEDISH LIBARY SERVICES)
ABOUT ROCK TO THE WEST
ENGLISH RELEASE 
AUTUMN 2026

ROCK TO THE EAST – AVAILABLE NOW IN ENGLISH

The first book in The Compass Series has arrived in English. Rock to the East is the first stand-alone novel in the series to reach the English-speaking market. 

Translated by Neil Betteridge, illustrated by Jonnie Kay Holmgren, and narrated in audiobook form by multi-award-winning narrator Hannah Melbourn. 

Available in paperback, e-book, and audiobook. 

A middle-grade fantasy adventure about courage, time, and friendship. 

One night, an unknown woman appears in a rocking chair. She is from the East – and she needs Aina's help. To succeed, Aina must face her greatest fears.


READ, LISTEN OR BUY

Audiobook 
Available on Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, Kobo, Storytel, Nextory, Bookbeat, OverDrive, Hoopla, and other major audiobook platforms worldwide. 

Enjoyed the book?Ashort review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Audible makes a real difference for an independent publisher – and helps other readers find their way to Aina's story. Even a few words mean the world to us.

Rock to the East is available worldwide in paperback, 
e-book, and audiobook. 

Paperback 
Available on Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Adlibris, Waterstones, Amazon and other major booksellers worldwide. You can also order it through your local bookshop or library – just ask for it by name. 

E-book 
Available on ,Kobo, Everand, Bookshop.org, Smashwords, Vivlio, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Tolino, BorrowBox, Fable, OverDrive, cloudLibrary, and other major e-book platforms worldwide.

THE ORIGINAL SWEDISH EDITIONS

Rock to the East

Om Gunga mot Öster

Rock to the West

Om Gunga mot Väster

Rock to the South 
and North

Om Gunga mot Söder och Norr

The Swedish edition is illustrated by Sofia Falkenhem. The English edition is illustrated by Jonnie Kay Holmgren.

ABOUT THE COMPASS SERIES

The Compass Series is a middle grade fantasy series set in the Nordic landscape, where magical worlds and everyday life are closely connected. The books follow Aina, a cautious but determined girl who is drawn into other worlds through her grandfather’s rocking chair.

Each world represents a force that shapes both the magical realms and our own — such as time, nature and how people treat one another.

Written for readers aged 8–12, the series combines suspenseful adventure with a calm, reflective tone. The books are suitable both for independent reading and for read-aloud or family listening. 

Rock to the East (Book 1)
Rock to the West (Book 2 – forthcoming)
Rock to the North and South  (Book 3 - forthcoming)

Om Gunga mot Öster

ROCK TO THE EAST

”Rock to the East is an action-packed adventure you can’t afford to miss!” 
Barnens bokklubb (Children´s Book Club)

Aina can’t believe her eyes. It’s the middle of the night and there in her grandfather’s rocking chair, swinging back and forth, sits a strange woman, staring at her. Suddenly she stops.“Aina, the one. We need your help.” 

This is the beginning of an adventure that will take Aina to the East, where she and her new friend, Elmi, are destined to stop the Master abusing the Windchimer – the clock that controls time not only in the East but in our world too. 

This particular summer in Dalsland is everything but normal. Dangers appear where least expected, and friends in strange guises. Aina, who’s normally afraid of almost everything, is faced with the toughest trials of her life and the prospect of losing all she holds dear.  

Rock to the East is a high-stakes middle grade fantasy set in the Nordic countryside — and the first book in The Compass Series, where each direction opens the door to a new world, and where the fate of those worlds reaches into our own.

Rock to the East – English edition
AUTHOR: Anna-Klara Mehlich. 
ILLUSTRATOR: Jonnie Kay Holmberg

Rock to the East – Swedish edition
AUTHOR: Anna-Klara Mehlich. 
ILLUSTRATOR: Sofia Falkenhem

REVIEWS

In Sweden, Rock to the East (Gunga åt Öster - mot tidens härskare) has received great reviews. Barnens bokklubb (Children´s Book Club) wrote:

Rock to the East is an action-packed adventure you can’t afford to miss!” 

The Children's Book Club also highlighted The Compass series along with the Little House on the Prairie series and The Engelsfors Trilogy under the heading 

Three Fantastic Series! (Tre fantastiska serier!)

Rock to the East (Gunga åt Öster) was also highlighted in the project. On the poster "Heroes from Other Worlds," the book was featured alongside works by notable authors such as Astrid Lindgren, Suzanne Collins, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and others. The project's purpose was to encourage a love for reading and enhance access to literature for young readers.

The project "Finding a Good Book" (Hitta en bra bok) was an initiative developed in collaboration with Childrens Libary in Sweden (Barnens bibliotek) aimed at helping children and young people discover engaging books to read. It promoted reading by offering recommendations tailored to different ages and interests.

ABOUT BARFOTABÖCKER PUBLISHING

Barfotaböcker Publishing is an independent Swedish publisher with a heart for stories that stick. We publish adventure books for readers aged 9 and up – imaginative tales rooted in the forests and lakes of rural Sweden, where other worlds feel close and the old magic never quite left.

Our heroes face challenges that feel urgently, unmistakably real – climate, justice, courage, and time. The kind of things worth getting lost in a book about.

Barfotaböcker – Stories that leave footprints*

*​The Swedish word “Barfota” means “barefoot”. So in translation, the publishing house name means ‘Barefoot Books.’