Draft:Lottie Saahko

Finnish children's author From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lottie Saahko (born 23 December 1992 in Valkeakoski, Finland)[1][2] is a Finnish bestselling author, award-winning speaker, TV presenter, and content creator[3], with eleven books published in Finnish under her full name Lotta-Sofia Saahko.[4][5] She grew up in Germany, China, Poland, Finland, and moved to the UK as an adult.[2] Lumi and the Wolf (Hachette, September 2026) will be her English debut.[6] She is represented by Gill Mclay at Bath Literary Agency.[7] Saahko enjoys writing on themes of Finnish history, neurodivergence[8], third culture kids, identity and nature.[9]

  • Comment: With apologies for the long wait for this review. The problem here illustrates why it is not a good idea for people to write their own biographies. Notability cannot be demonstrated by the subject's own writings and broadcasts. Notability is demonstrated by independent people writing, commenting on the subject, and a summary of that commentary used as the basis of the biography. Instead what we have here is a résumé written first, then sourced, which is WP:BACKWARDS and almost guaranteed to be problematic. So one route open under WP:NAUTHOR translates to being "2 books, 2 book reviews each". And it's not sufficient to just mention the book review, it is needed is that the review's analysis of the subject comes out in the draft. Interviews do not count. I cannot find a single source here that works towards notability.
    This isn't the reason for the decline, but you can avoid cluttering up the references with commercial links to your books. So long as there is an ISBN and ideally OCLC number then that counts as a referenced source. Since this is a COI submission and the links are promoting the book, those commercial links are open to question, and they simply aren't needed if the ISBN/OCLC is in place. I have updated one OCLC for you. ChrysGalley (talk) 09:14, 6 June 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: I did not decline this for insufficient evidence of notability, but I probably could have. The sources are all bar one primary, and thus unable to establish notability per WP:GNG. If instead claiming this via the subject-specific WP:AUTHOR route, please make it clear which of the four criteria is met, and provide evidence to support this. DoubleGrazing (talk) 16:34, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: There is far too much unreferenced information here, esp. given that this is about a living person. Every material statement, anything potentially contentious, and all private personal details must be clearly supported by inline citations to reliable published sources, or else removed. Which source gives her DOB or educational background? Where does the information in those three unreferenced sections come from, and how do we know any of it is true? (Note also that Goodreads is not considered a reliable source.) DoubleGrazing (talk) 16:30, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Shelivesherdream (talk) 17:07, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
Born (1992-12-23) 23 December 1992 (age 33)
OccupationAuthor, TV presenter
Period2020–2026
SubjectFinnish History, Third Culture Kids, Dementia, Neurodivergence
Quick facts Lottie Saahko, Born ...
Lottie Saahko
Born (1992-12-23) 23 December 1992 (age 33)
OccupationAuthor, TV presenter
Period2020–2026
SubjectFinnish History, Third Culture Kids, Dementia, Neurodivergence
Notable awardsStorytel Audiobook Award, Non-fiction, 2021 Adlibris Children's Book of the Year, 2023
Website
www.lottiesaahko.com
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Early life and education

Saahko spent her childhood in Germany, China, Finland and Poland.[10] She graduated from the German School of Shanghai in 2011 and from Valkeakosken aikuislukio, Finland in 2012.[11] She went on to study communication at the University of Vaasa, earning a Master of Arts degree in 2017. That same year, she completed a qualification in graphic design at Shillington College in London.[12] In 2019, she moved to London for the MA Acting programme at East 15 Acting School (University of Essex).[13]

Social media career

Saahko began producing social media content with her grandfather in May 2020 after returning to Valkeakoski during the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] Their videos feature traditional Finnish folk songs, followed by conversations about her grandfather's childhood as a Karelian war evacuee, as well as Finnish traditions and cultural history.[15] Her Finnish channels have a total of 350,000 followers as of February 2026. She also shares her writing and research process on her English-language social media and YouTube channel.[16][17]

Literary work

Saahko has published eleven books with Tammi under her full name Lotta-Sofia Saahko.[18] She published her debut memoir, Papan kanssa kahvilla (“Coffee with Grandpa”), about her grandfather's youth as a Karelian war evacuee in November 2020.[19] The book became one of the bestselling Finnish non-fiction titles of the year and won the Finnish Great Audiobook Award.[20] She has since published multiple non-fiction and children's books[21], including her own memoir Koti kulttuurien välissä (“Home Between Cultures”)[22], which explores growing up between cultures, and the children's historical picture book series Lotta ja pappa.[23] She has also written picture books on moving abroad, dementia and neurodivergence.[23] In 2025, she signed her first English book deal with Hachette Children's Group.[24]

Television

In 2025, Saahko made her television presenting debut on Yle TV1 in the series Unohtumattomat – muistikuoron matka, the Finnish adaptation of the BBC series Our Dementia Choir,[25] originally hosted by Vicky McClure[26]. The programme follows a choir of people living with dementia as they prepare for a concert. Her grandfather Jorma Saahko also appeared in the series as a choir member.[27]

Awards and recognition

Saahko has received several recognitions for her cultural work, including awards for voluntary and cultural contributions since 2020.[28] She and her grandfather were named “Most Positive Finn of the Year” in 2021.[29] Her books have won major Finnish audiobook[30] and children's literature awards[31], and in 2024 she received the “Newcomer Speaker of the Year” award from Speakersforum.[32]

Bibliography

In English:

In Finnish:

  • Papan kanssa kahvilla (Coffee with Grandpa). Tammi, 2020. ISBN 978-952-04-2661-3 OCLC 1203127699[33]
  • Kahvia ja karjalanpiirakoita (Coffee and Karelian Pies). Tammi, 2021. ISBN 978-952-04-3465-6[34]
  • Koti kulttuurien välissä (Home Between Cultures). Tammi, 2022. ISBN 978-952-04-3835-7[35]
  • Lotta ja pappa. Omenarannasta uuteen kotiin (From the Apple Shore to a New Home). Tammi, 2022. ISBN 978-952-04-3360-4[36]
  • Matkalaukkulapsuus (Suitcase Childhood). Tammi, 2023. ISBN 9789520448912[37]
  • Lotan ja papan laulukirja. Tammi, 2023. ISBN 9789520456412[38]
  • Lotta ja pappa. Joulun taika (The Magic of Christmas). Tammi, 2023. ISBN 9789520455637[39]
  • Lilja muuttaa maailmalle (Lila Moves Abroad). Tammi, 2024. ISBN 9789520460648[40]
  • Kun mummi unohti tarinat (When Grandma Forgot Her Stories). Tammi, 2025. ISBN 9789520467029[41]
  • Lotta ja pappa. Virvon, varvon (Willow Switch). Tammi, 2025. ISBN 9789520460808[42]
  • Muistamme yhdessä (We'll Remember Together). Tammi, 2026. ISBN 978-952-04-8058-5[43]
  • Minä saan olla lohikäärme (I Can Be A Dragon). Tammi, 2026. ISBN 9789520469665[44]
  • Lotta ja pappa. Juhannustanssit (Midsummer Dance). Tammi, 2025. ISBN 9789520469696[45]

References

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