Debut middle-grade writer Nicola Skinner signs with HarperCollins

HarperCollins Children’s Books has bought a "wickedly funny" middle-grade debut, about a girl who finds a packet of surprising seeds, by copywriter and journalist Nicola Skinner.

Publishing director Nick Lake acquired Bloom in a two-book deal from Silvia Molteni at PFD.

He said: "From the first line of Bloom I knew I was in the hands of a very special writer. A beautifully written and laugh-out- loud funny novel with a never-done-before premise, and a truly loveable and memorable character at its heart, it feels like a future classic. Plus, it features people growing flowers out of their heads. What’s not to love?”                         

Bloom will be published as a £12.99 hardback in spring 2019.