Bloomsbury Children’s to publish two more from Renée Watson

Bloomsbury Children’s Books will next year publish two further YA titles by US author Renée Watson, after bringing out her YA novel Piecing Me Together in February of this year. 

The first book in the new deal, Watch Us Rise, was co-written with Ellen Hagan and is about two best friends, one black and one white, who start a school blog for feminist essays and poems.

The second, What Momma Left Me, is about a girl called Serenity Evans whose mother is dead and whose father is left. She goes to live with her grandparents where she worries about her brother and the poor life choices he makes.

Watch Us Rise will be published in February 2019 and What Momma Left Me will follow in August.

The books are being published as part of an earlier five-book deal brokered by Sarah Shumway at Bloomsbury US and Rosemary Stimola at the Stimola Literary Studio. Shumway acquired world English language rights and is also planning to publish three middle-grade novels by Watson, with the first coming in 2020.

Zöe Griffiths, Watson’s UK editor, said: “We are incredibly excited to be building Renée further in UK with these two exceptional novels. Reneé’s books are thought-provoking, significant and timely. We couldn’t be prouder to publish her.”