You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Puffin has acquired two books from Cerrie Burnell including Wilder Than Midnight, an "inclusive and bold" middle-grade fairytale adventure.
Naomi Colthurst, commissioning editor, acquired world rights in two books from Claire Wilson at Rogers, Coleridge & White.
Wilder Than Midnight is a fantasy adventure weaving together familiar faiytales to "celebrate the power of storytelling and found family alongside a sensitive portrayal of limb difference inspired by the author’s personal experiences". It will be published in paperback, e-book and audio in May 2022.
The second book in the deal will follow in 2023 and will be a sister novel, set within the same world.
Colthurst said: "Having long admired Cerrie’s wonderful children’s books, I was delighted to snap up Wilder Than Midnight. Full of daring adventure, thrilling secret friendships and twisty magic, it’s a story children will love from its very first pages. Cerrie’s powerfully imaginative and inclusive storytelling is woven through its very fabric, making this a classic yet modern fairytale like no other."
Burnell, author of 12 children's novels including I Am Not a Label (Wide Eyed Editions), commented: "Wilder Than Midnight is a love letter to my childhood self. I grew up immersed in the magic of fairytales, dreaming of finding myself in one but never truly seeing myself represented. In this reimagining I’ve gathered all the elements I love: a midnight forest, a mysterious castle, moonlit wolves, a fearless girl in a scarlet cloak and a spell-breaking friendship, and elevated them through a disability lens. It is an ode to the enchantment of fairytales and the empowering joy of inclusion."