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Hachette Children's and Scholastic sign adaptations of books by Holocaust survivors Friedman and Lantos
Hachette Children’s Group and Scholastic have announced adaptations of books by Holocaust survivors ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day this weekend (27th January).
Hachette Children’s Group has signed the children’s adaptation of Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman’s The Daughter of Auschwitz: The Girl Who Lived to Tell Her Story.
Publishing director Laura Horsley signed world all-language rights, excluding US and Canada, from Adam Gauntlett at Peters, Fraser + Dunlop. Written with the help of Hilary Freeman and "sensitively told for younger readers", the book will be published on 28th August 2024.
The Daughter of Auschwitz recounts Friedman’s time imprisoned in labour camps and will include "sensitive" black and white line art by Manuel Sumberac with historical context about the Second World War and the Holocaust. It will also contain an afterword about Friedman’s life and a Q&A with the author.
Horsley commented: "Publishing Tova Friedman is a huge honour to us all at Hachette Children’s Group. We hope by sharing her incredible story of survival, the events of the Holocaust will be known by new generations and not forgotten."
Friedman added: "Sharing my memories with the young is a precious gift to both the past and the future. We honour the dead by remembering them, and we teach the young that they can create a brighter future.”
Scholastic has also signed the graphic novel adaptation of Peter Lantos’ memoir, The Boy Who Didn’t Want To Die, illustrated by Victoria Stebleva.
Elizabeth Scoggins, publisher non-fiction, brands and licensing, acquired world rights for the text directly from Lantos. Senior designer Sarah Baldwin acquired world rights for the illustrations from Doreen Thorogood at the Good Illustration Agency. The graphic novel will be published in January 2025.
Lantos said: "I am delighted that after the success of my book, it will be published as a graphic memoir. I hope that this format will reach even more children who wish to enhance the written words with images of the text."
Stebleva added: "I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work on Peter Lantos’ graphic novel: his story touched me deeply. My goal as an illustrator is to create a visual layer for this extraordinary story of survival, love and hope that will resonate with readers of all ages."
Scoggins commented: "It has been a true privilege to continue to work with Peter on this next step in his children’s publishing career – helping to create a new version of the story of his experiences during the war is a real passion project, and I hope that even more readers will find themselves immersed in his incredible and moving journey."
