Puffin scoops Vashti Hardy’s ‘magnetic’ middle-grade mystery series
Puffin has acquired The Mercury Murders, the first book in a “magnetic” new mystery adventure series from award-winning author Vashti Hardy.
World rights were acquired by PRH Children’s editorial director Linas Alsenas, following an exclusive submission from Kate Shaw at The Shaw Agency. Hardy and Alsenas have previously worked together on Hardy’s debut Brightstorm series and other books (Scholastic).
Hardy won the Blue Peter Book Award in 2020 and has been shortlisted for prizes, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Books Are My Bag Awards. Her new series features murder mysteries set within a magic school.
“The Forgeborn School for Alchemy trains up new generations of a secret ancient society totally hidden from our contemporary world, in which metals and magic mix,” the blurb reads.
The Mercury Murders will be published in June 2027, with the next book, The Silver Assassin, coming in 2028 and an as-yet-untitled book three in 2029.
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The blurb for The Mercury Murders reads: "Deep in the English countryside, there’s a boarding school very few people know about: the Forgeborn School of Alchemy. When 12-year-old Kit Mercurio receives a mysterious invitation to enrol, he discovers a whole secret society of people living among us with magical powers relating to metals. Incredibly, he’s one of them. But at Forgeborn, Kit doesn’t exactly fit in. He’s half-Gold and half-Mercury, and the school hasn’t allowed a Mercury in for decades. And when a prominent Gold politician gets murdered, her surprising connection to Kit makes him suspect number one. It’s a real test of Kit’s metal. As he tries to survive boarding school – and master his inner magic – can Kit and his new friends identify the murderer before it’s too late?"
Hardy said: “This series is my most ambitious yet, and I can’t wait for readers to be swept into its magical, contemporary world full of murderous and mysterious twists. Joining Puffin, whose books I’ve treasured since childhood and that have inspired generations, is an absolute dream come true.”
Alsenas said: “Vashti Hardy is a much-beloved author in this industry, and with very good reason: her award-winning books have been setting young imaginations soaring for years. I couldn’t be more delighted that she has entrusted Puffin with this exciting new chapter in her writing career, and I know her fans will be surprised and thrilled by The Mercury Murders.
“This new, fast-paced story centres a tense, cracking mystery within an enthralling parallel society of metal magic; I couldn’t tear myself away from the deadly intrigue that greets Kit at the Forgeborn School of Alchemy. At Puffin we know well that middle-grade readers are irresistibly drawn to murder mysteries, and Vashti’s new book will absolutely electrify them, leaving them clamouring for more.”
