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Bloomsbury Children’s has made three acquisitions centred around diversity which will "up-end the content stereotypes of series for young readers". Editorial director Zoe Griffiths acquired three books in Mark Powers’ and illustrator Dapo Adeola’s "‘Star Wars’ meets Sherlock Holmes" Space Detectives series. Griffiths acquired the titles from Kate Shaw at The Shaw Agency on behalf of Powers, while Sallyanne Sweeney at MMB Creative represented Adeola.
Griffiths also nabbed world rights for two books in a series titled The Worst Class in the World by bestselling author Joanna Nadin, best known for her Rachel Riley novels, from Julia Churchill at A M Heath. Illustrations will be by Rikin Parekh, who is repped by Claire Cartey at Holroyde Cartey. The Worst Class will have "two hilarious madcap adventures" in each book, and will "celebrate the diversity of backgrounds and cultures of students in primary schools across the UK".
Meanwhile, head of fiction Ellen Holgate acquired world rights in three books by Michelle Robinson, the first young fiction titles from the picture book author. The books will feature two "intrepid girls who go from ladies-in-waiting to knights-in-action when they rip up the rule book and go searching for adventure". The first title, Do Not Disturb the Dragons, is "hilarious and warmhearted with a message that heroes come in all shapes and sizes".
Holgate bought the books from James Catchpole at The Catchpole Agency on behalf of Robinson. Hannah Whitty at Plum Pudding represented illustrator Sharon Davey. The first The Worst Class in the World title will publish in the UK in May 2020 while Robinson’s Do Not Disturb the Dragons follows in June 2020. The initial Space Detectives title is scheduled for early 2021.