"Me and August: A young adult novel," original title "Mina ja August. Noorsooromaan," was written by Lille Roomets (Hea Lugu, 2023).

"Ingmar and the Sea," original title "Ingmar ja meri," was written by Mari Teede and illustrated by Marja-Liisa Plats (Tänapäev, 2023).

Published annually by the Munich-based International Youth Library, "The White Ravens" annotated catalogue highlights more than 200 notable new children's and young adult books in dozens of languages and from around 50 different countries.

The books included in the catalogue are selected by a team of children's lit experts from among the large number of new works received by the library over the span over a year, with a focus on titles with potential international appeal due to their literary and pictorial quality and/or the topics they address, the library states.

Lille Roomets' "Me and August" is one of Estonia's first verse novels for young adults. Set in the years 1933-1934, when Estonia was independent but troubled by political and economic friction, the novel, presented as a diary, follows the lives of three teenagers whose fates are determined by these political events. In the end, it jumps to one last journal entry in 1964 summarizing further tragic developments in the main characters' lives during the Soviet occupation.

"Me and August" was named one of Estonia's Best Youth Books of 2023.

Mari Teede's "Ingmar and the Sea" briefly illustrates that finding new friends and coping with your parents' divorce isn't easy. When Ingmar's parents separate, he and his mother move from Tallinn to his grandfather's house by the sea. Being far from his friends and starting a new school make it hard to feel at home, but with the sea as his constant companion, Ingmar slowly begins to get used to things.

"Ingmar and the Sea" has won several awards and accolades in Estonia. Last year, it was named as a nominee for the Cultural Endowment's annual Literature Award and the Tartu Prize for Children's Literature. It was likewise named one of Estonia's Best Children's Books of 2023.

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