David Almond teams up with Hachette Children's Group for a coming-of-age middle-grade novel

Skellig author and Hans Christian Anderson Award winner David Almond is to publish an "intense and compelling" coming-of-age middle-grade novel about "hope, friendship and conquering your fears" with the Hachette Children’s Group.

HCG editorial director Rachel Wade world English rights to The Falling Boy from Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Associates. HCG imprint Hodder Children’s has been one of the publishers of Almond’s fiction for older readers since Skellig was launched in 1998.

The Falling Boy, scheduled for a September 2024 UK release, centres around new kid in town Joff, whose Dad is ill and whose Mum is always busy at work. He cannot wait to escape each day and explore with his dog Jet. But there one place he is forbidden to go: the ancient, crumbling Chapel of Doom which sits above the town. But one day, "Joff’s adventures take him beyond the boundaries and he discovers something unexpected, something truly magical."

Wade said: "It’s always a huge moment when there is a new novel from David Almond, and this feels like a particularly auspicious time as we’ve just published the illustrated paperback edition of Skellig (with art by Tom de Freston) to celebrate [its] 25 years... This new book is just as wonderful: it captures the joy of new freedoms, the fear of change; and the energy, heat and light of a long, transformational summer."

Almond had two titles published with small presses before his breakout with Skellig, later made into a film starring Tim Roth. His books have since been translated into over 40 languages and he was the Hans Christian Andersen honoree in 2010. His newest book is the Pinocchio-inspired, Lizzy Stewart-illustrated Puppet, which will be released at the end of April by Walker in the UK, with Walker’s sister company Candlewick following five months later in the US.

Almond said: "As I wrote [The Falling Boy], I felt so close to Joff, his Dad, to the whole community of characters in the book. Each word was like a step on a shared journey. I hope that my readers will be drawn into this journey, that they’ll share Joff’s fears, loves, hopes and joys."