Hardly any other children's book series on the German book market is as well-known and popular as Alice Pantermüller's "Mein Lotta-Leben".

The clever comic diaries of today's twelve-year-old, who has two "dumb brothers" and is at loggerheads with her recorder, not only let hot-headed girls browse and laugh out loud.

Even boys are fascinated by the bizarre experiences of the narrator, who has become two years older since the first volume.

18 Lotta volumes have been published so far, one more turbulent and funnier than the other.

Alice Pantermüller enjoys writing just as much as her readers enjoy reading.

For her as an author, such a successful series is “a great thing”, she says, because she is already very familiar with the Lotta world with every further volume.

She calls Lotta's life with her parents and brothers, friends and teachers her “Lottaversum”.

On the other hand, she is very happy not only to write Lotta books.



Alice Pantermüller has published more than 40 books in the past eleven years.

It's unimaginable, she says - and only possible because there are also short children's books and picture books.

But that's where every sentence has to fit, every story has to be precise and coherent.

Her second novel for adults, starring a female writer, will also be published in May.

A crime writer who is often asked if the heroines of her novels resemble herself.

And who keeps claiming: no – just like Alice Pantermüller has always claimed.

Until she discovered while writing this novel that this is not true at all and that she also talks about herself in her books.

Also in the Lotta-Leben volumes – at least a little bit.



The Lotta series wouldn't be so special without the illustrations by Daniela Kohl.

They fit the text so precisely, so skilfully and beautifully, sitting so above, between and in the middle of the lines, that one has the impression that the two women are working hand in hand.

They sit next to each other all the time, discuss every scene and laugh all the time.

But in reality it is very different: Alice Pantermüller writes each story entirely by herself, at home in the village near Celle.

And only when the publisher has proofread it does the text go to Daniela Kohl in Munich.

She then divides the text into pages, designs her illustrations, places speech bubbles and gives each character her own font.

And yet all the books seem to be made of one piece.

Anyone who thinks that Alice Pantermüller writes at least a few pages of a new book every day is wrong.

Although she spends many hours at her desk every day, there is far more to do than “just” writing stories.

She spends a lot of time revising texts and audio book versions, the Lotta cookbook and matching calendar, with e-mails, reading requests and bookkeeping.

It's not much fun, but it has to be.

Writing is definitely what she enjoys most, not only because it's so satisfying to keep inventing new stories, but also because as an author she takes responsibility for her readers.

Because children are shaped by what they read, and in Alice Pantermüller's books they can experience the importance of fairness, respect and consideration.

Florentine, for example, the heroine in Alice Pantermüller's new children's book "Florentine Blix".

The girl is a bit "difficult", on the one hand smart, but on the other hand difficult to adjust to other people.

What Florentine likes are criminal cases and they are in good hands with her.

Incidentally, Florentine lives in Flensburg, the city by the sea where Alice Pantermüller was born in 1968.

And while you don't know exactly where the Lotta books are set, you can walk down the streets of Flensburg with Florentine.

The author particularly enjoyed the cityscape, and because Daniela Kohl did not know Flensburg, the author gave her a map of the city.



Alice Pantermüller is currently working on the second Florentine book, the first will appear in mid-March, just in time for the Sunday story reading.

Then she will read it.

And one thing is guaranteed: even children who don't usually like to read will devour "Florentine".

Because thanks to Alice Pantermüller's books, many non-readers have become bookworms.