Actor Nick Mohammed pens children's novel

Penguin Random House Children’s has acquired world rights to a children’s fiction title by actor and magician Nick Mohammed.

The Young Magicians and the Thieves Almanac, described as a “hilarious middle-grade mystery-adventure”, shows readers what happens in the mysterious Magic Circle.

PRH Children’s bought world rights from Robert Kirby at United Agents and will publish in February 2017.

Publisher Ruth Knowles said: “I have been a fan of Nick Mohammed’s for many years now, thanks to his incredibly funny comedy characters on stage and screen. I’m delighted that Nick is just as laugh-out-loud on the page as he is in real life, and fans of David Walliams and My Brother is a Superhero will love his combination of fresh and funny mystery-adventure. We are so pleased to welcome him to Penguin Random House Children’s.”

Mohammed plays Mr Love in "Hank Zipzer" on CBBC and has appeared in films like Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and Bridget Jones's Baby. He has also been a member of the Northern Magic Circle since 1995.

He said: “Ever since I became a junior member of the Northern Magic Circle in 1995 I’ve been desperate to tell as many people as I could about the wonderful and completely bonkers world of magic (and about the even more bonkers people who inhabit its societies). 

“Something about magic that I’ve always loved is its ability to take one back to their childhood, to a time when anything was possible. It feels to me that there is a real innocent quality to good magic, which is why I’ve always found the subject matter resonates so clearly with children.’