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Usborne has scooped The Beanstalk Murder: A Giant-Sized Murder Mystery, a new "fiendishly clever" standalone middle-grade novel from P G Bell.
Sarah Stewart, senior commissioning editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency. Feiwel and Friends will publish The Beanstalk Murder in autumn 2023 in the US, followed by another title. It will be published in the UK by Usborne in March 2024.
The Beanstalk Murder is a "cosy crime caper" featuring a "giant-sized whodunnit with a witchy twist, filled with enchantment, fun and suspense".
The synopsis reads: "The Beanstalk Wars have been over for 100 years and peace has reigned between the human and giant worlds – until a dead giant falls from the sky onto the human village of Old Stump.When trainee witch Anwen helps to examine the body, she discovers proof that it wasn’t the fall that killed him – a giant murderer is on the loose! Tasked with sending a message to the giant kingdom via beanstalk, Anwen and her nemesis, trainee sorceress Cerys, accidentally find themselves whipped up into the sky and deposited in the giants’ royal palace. There they discover that the dead giant was the king – well-loved amongst his people, but not by the palace staff who worked for him…
"Using their perfect spy-size and witchy skills, the girls must track down his killer – but how can you investigate a murder mystery when you risk being stepped on by your suspects?"
"I have adored P G Bell’s witty, imaginative and truly magical writing ever since I read The Train To Impossible Places (Usborne) and I am overjoyed to be working with him on The Beanstalk Murder: A Giant-Sized Murder Mystery," commented Stewart. "It’s fiendishly clever, utterly enchanting and packed with the most brilliantly imaginative and memorable characters – not only is Anwen a young witch in the best tradition of Tiffany Aching, but Archimboldo the art-critic pigeon has stolen my heart."
Bell added: "I’m delighted that The Beanstalk Murder: A Giant-Sized Murder Mystery has found a home with Usborne in the UK and Feiwel & Friends in the US, and I’ve really enjoyed digging into the story with my editors, Sarah and Foyinsi, who are helping me to make every sentence shine. We’re very excited to introduce my readers to Anwen and Cerys – the very best of enemies, caught up in a giant-sized murder mystery. It’s a tale packed with intrigue and adventure, plus someone gets pooped on by a giant pigeon.”