Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie steps into the spotlight with his solo debut
Caroline CarpenterCaroline is deputy features editor at The Bookseller and chair of the YA Book Prize, as well as being a co-host of children's book radio
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Standing tall with his solo debut novel, the London-based author is intent on entertaining future generations of readers with his action-packed tale.
Caroline is deputy features editor at The Bookseller and chair of the YA Book Prize, as well as being a co-host of children's book radio
...moreThis August, Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie – who has previously co-written the Future Hero series and Marcus Rashford’s Breakfast Club Adventures – is stepping into the spotlight with his solo debut, Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent. Pitched by publisher Puffin as “Alex Rider meets Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse”, it is the first in an action-adventure middle-grade series about an ordinary boy who discovers that he has extraordinary powers.
Hamilton-McKenzie, who was born and raised in north-west London, has “always been interested in stories” and says he “wrote this book in part for my younger self”. Despite studying history and economics at university, he did not want to work in a related career so followed his passion for storytelling instead. He began writing Jamaal Target in 2018, which took “about six months, more or less”. As a “big action fan”, he was inspired by the fast-paced stories he enjoys himself: “Alex Rider, James Bond, John Wick, Jason Bourne, Black Panther, Transformers, Power Rangers – all of those mixed together, really”.
The novel centres on Jamaal Target, a seemingly average 12-year-old boy who lives with his foster mum and likes to game. However, when his best friend Myla is kidnapped by robot-like figures in front of his eyes, Jamaal discovers a shadowy organisation known as PHANTOM and learns that he has inherited super strength, speed and heightened senses from the parents he never knew. Desperate to save Myla, he goes on a high-stakes mission across London alongside teen PHANTOM agent Lori Johnson.
After submitting his first draft of the book in 2019 and receiving rejections, Hamilton-McKenzie shelved it but “just carried on writing and I started reading a lot more”. He was then introduced to Jasmine Richards, CEO of inclusive children’s fiction studio, Storymix. This led to him becoming part of the writing team who created the Future Hero series (Scholastic). Later, Richards recommended Hamilton-McKenzie when an opportunity arose to take over from Alex Falase-Koya as co-author of footballer and literacy advocate Rashford’s Breakfast Club Adventures (Macmillan Children’s Books).
Hamilton-Mckenzie says: “I think Jasmine had me in mind because of the experience of Future Hero, but also because I like football, I’m a Man United fan, I’m a similar demographic of writer to Alex and Marcus himself – we’re the same age and same kind of person.” He adds: “It was a good experience because it was a bit different in terms of how we were writing, and the themes… and it was just another opportunity to work and exercise that writing skill.”
After working on those projects and studying, Hamilton-McKenzie returned to Jamaal Target in 2023. “Between 2019 and 2023, I might have touched it a bit here and there, and then in 2023 I really got back to it.” He feels he was a “better writer” by that point thanks to the skills he had honed through his commissioned work. However, the plot did not change drastically. “He’s still Jamaal, but different aspects of what he can do and what other people around him can do, and a few characters have changed here and there. But the main essence of the story is the same. He’s a unique character, I think, and that’s unchanged throughout all my different conceptions of him.” This time, things moved quickly for Hamilton-McKenzie, as he was signed by agent Rachel Petty that summer and struck a two-book deal with Puffin in early 2024.
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Jamaal’s home life is inspired by Hamilton-McKenzie’s own experiences growing up. His parents fostered children for over 20 years, so he felt it was important to represent the warmth of fostering families. He explains: “Writing Jamaal Target as a foster kid, I don’t actually remember it being a full-on decision. That was just who he is from when I was writing him, that was just his character… It’s a way to explore and give people that knowledge of what it may be like as a foster child, and what the world of social care is like in certain aspects.”
Alongside the realistic aspects, the book includes sci-fi and superhero elements as Jamaal realises that he – and those working against him and his friends – have enhanced abilities. Again, the author cites a blockbuster franchise as an influence on this storyline. “One of my biggest inspirations is X-Men, where you’ve got these fantasy superhuman people, but in a world that we all know and recognise. I like things that are very grounded, but with those elements in it... The majority of the stories I write have some sort of fantastical twist to them.”
One of my biggest inspirations is X-Men… you’ve got these fantasy superhuman people, but in a world that we all know and recognise
While the narrative is action-packed, featuring chases and fights galore, there are also more gentle themes running alongside it, such as friendship, discovering your true identity and finding a sense of belonging. Hamilton-McKenzie hopes that one message young readers will take away from the story is “being brave and confident in yourself”, following Jamaal’s example. “He has a strength that he’s not even aware of.”
Hamilton-McKenzie is currently working as a teaching assistant, which provides him with “daily inspiration” for writing for this age group as he draws from their mannerisms and slang. It is also preparing him for the author events that he is looking forward to taking part in once Jamaal Target is released. “I enjoy being around kids and just talking about stories and books and the crazy ideas they come up with,” he laughs.
A follow-up to Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent is coming in June 2027. Hamilton-McKenzie teases: “The first one is such an adrenaline high, and everything is brand new to Jamaal. So, what I wanted to explore in the second was what happens next. It’s just exploring Jamaal and his life, and how he has to navigate what’s just happened to him and his ability. He’s still discovering what he can do and who he is. Again, it’s another fast-paced action story, but it’s got slower elements to it and more character development.” Beyond this, he is currently working on another middle-grade action story that leans further into the SFF genre, as well as a historical fantasy story. “I’ve always got ideas,” he says.
It is well-documented that reading rates are lower for boys than girls, with the National Literacy Trust reporting earlier this year that only 26% of boys aged eight to 11 read daily, compared to 36% of girls the same age. Puffin hopes that Jamaal Target will help to bridge that gap. Hamilton-McKenzie notes: “I’m seeing it first hand… A lot of [the boys at school] don’t enjoy reading, and I think it’s a shame because they’re missing out on such an enjoyable thing... There is – aside from the educational value of a book – just entertainment value in a book, and I just hope that Jamaal Target brings that entertainment value and grips people. I think it can.”
Metadata
Imprint Puffin
Publication 20th August 2026
Formats PB (9780241726754, £8.99); EB (9780241726778, £5.99)
Editor Amina Parchment-Youssef, PRH Children’s
Agent Rachel Petty, The Blair Partnership
