Angry Birds Creator Will Publish YA Series, Really

I have to say, this isn't exactly a headline I anticipated writing. But yes, the app creator behind Angry Birds will publish a YA series called Storm Sisters, starting with the new novel The Sinking World. The series won't be about flying birds and evil pigs, however. The Finnish company Rovio says that Storm Sisters will be an action-adventure series that follows a group of young girl pirates across the high seas in the late 18th century. And (I can't believe I'm saying this) but the premise actually sounds promising.

After the tragic events of what has become known as the Day of Destruction — a day when they were intended to die along with their families — Charlie, Sadie, Liu, Raquel and Ingela sail the high seas all alone. In the 1780s, in a world filled with pirates, hurricanes and disbelievers, that’s not an easy task. What’s more important: Survival or truth?

Two things spring to mind with this very short series synopsis: Five girls navigating the high seas alone is actually a True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle-type story I wanted back when I was in grade school, and based on the names only, it seems like Rovio is working to include female characters from diverse backgrounds, which if true, is commendable.

Finnish writer Mintie Das will write all books in the series, and in a video interview on YouTube, adds that each of the girls is named after a real-life female pirate. Awesome. She also reveals that the book will open in a dark corner of Shanghai, travel to the Maldives, and make a stop in a place inspired by the Ottoman Empire. Das says she was inspired by her own travels as a young girl, following her father from country to country as a United Nations employee.

Am I insane or could this be legitimately good?

This isn't the first time Rovio has published a book. In 2011, the app creator released a cookbook called Bad Piggies Egg Recipes. And in a world where games like Battleship and toys like Transformers can be made into billion dollar movies, maybe we should be more open to mobile-games-turned-books. Well, at least when they sound this interesting.