Hachette Children’s signs MG series by debut author L D Lapinski

Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) has acquired a magical middle-grade fantasy series by debut author L D Lapinski.

The Strangeworlds Travel Agency is about a 12-year-old called Flick Hudson who can reach other worlds by jumping through battered old suitcases. But the world at the centre of everything is disappearing and Flick must find a way to fix it before it collapses into nothingness, taking our world with it.

The three-book series will be published on the Orion Children’s Books imprint and book one is due for release in April 2020. Books two and three will come in April 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Senior commissioning editor Samantha Swinnerton acquired world rights from Claire Wilson at RCW and will co-publish with Hachette Livre in France.

“Combining a traditional storytelling voice with quirky humour and a spirited heroine, The Strangeworlds Travel Agency has the feeling of a modern classic,” said Swinnerton. “L D Lapinski’s debut novel is a story filled with magic, adventure and some very special suitcases. We can’t wait for readers to step inside The Strangeworlds Travel Agency and – just like Flick – find themselves transported to someplace entirely wonderful and new.”