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Barrington Stoke signs 'hard-hitting' novella from Gray
Barrington Stoke has signed The Den, a "hard-hitting" teen novella from Keith Gray.
Publisher Ailsa Bathgate acquired world rights from Lucy Juckes at Jenny Brown Associates. The Den will be published in August 2023 in Barrington Stoke’s "super-readable" format for readers aged 11 and over.
Gray’s previous title with Barrington Stoke, The Climbers, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and UKLA Award. The Den "captures the complex stakes of teenage friendship and family breakdown familiar to so many young adults".
The synopsis reads: "Marshall feels the need to escape because things are so tough at home. Rory is just happy it’s the first day of the summer holidays. While out on their bikes they stumble across a long-forgotten underground bunker at the edge of the woods.
"This is the den, and going down inside will stretch their friendship to its limits. There will be rivalry and betrayal, but can wrecked relationships be saved before the summer has even begun?"
Bathgate commented: "Keith Gray is an immensely talented writer, able to tap into the intense vulnerability of teenagers and convey the complex, fragile webs of their friendships. In The Den he brilliantly portrays the outer bravado of two battling boys, while also revealing the fears behind it, and we see them struggle to figure out who they are, who they can trust, and what they can get away with. I think our readers will love it."
Gray added: "I baited The Den with adventure, empathy, humour and even a touch of rebellion. With any luck it will be just enough to tempt and trap those readers who so far might never have considered themselves readers. Capturing new and struggling readers is what Barrington Stoke and their books do better than anyone else."
Earlier this month it was announced HarperCollins would acquire Barrington Stoke, which will continue to be based in Edinburgh and maintain its publishing autonomy as a distinct editorially independent imprint.
