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Usborne is launching a new series for girls in time for next year's Vancouver Winter Olympics, in collaboration with content group Chorion.
Skate School will be the first time that Chorion has created a book from an original concept as the company traditionally works with established characters or writers, such as Enid Blyton.
Jeff Norton, senior vice president of brand development for Chorion, proposed the project, which was inspired by his own early morning starts as a child to take his sister to skating practice. While the project is “opportunistic rather than strategic”, Norton believes its success could lead to other similar developments.
Usborne will publish four books written by author Kay Woodward. Skate School: Ice Princess will launch the series on 30th October with the second due in December. The series is aimed at girls aged nine years-plus and follows the life of Frankie who is plucked from obscurity and sent to GB’s Olympic Training School in Switzerland.
Norton said: “Once we have established whether the books work with readers and engage them, we will consider developing them into other media.” He added, “The books lend themselves to a TV show or feature because of the strong protagonist, Frankie, and the world she is swept up in.”