Hachette Children’s Group lands O’Leary's Wings of Glory

Hachette Children’s Group has landed Wings of Glory, a "funny action-adventure story" by author and TV and radio presenter Dermot O’Leary.

The new novel is part of an existing deal, signed between publishing director Kate Agar and Jadeen Singh at John Noel Management.

Wings of Glory is about the Battle of Britain, told from the perspective of a swift called Linus and his "squadron of feathered friends". It will be illustrated throughout in black and white by Claire Powell and will publish in hardback on 14th September 2023.

The synopsis said: "A lifelong history fan and aviation enthusiast, O’Leary has brought his interest and passion for Second World War history to life, adding humour and a feathery twist." This is not Dermot’s first foray into animal adventures, with Wings of Glory following his Toto the Ninja Cat series (Hodder Children’s Books), which was based on Dermot’s own pets.

Agar commented: “I’ve always known that Dermot is passionate about history, so when he proposed writing an action-adventure story set during the Second World War, I knew we were in for something special.”

O’Leary is presenting ITV’s "This Morning" alongside Alison Hammond every Friday, as well as "The Dermot O’Leary Show" on BBC Radio 2. He also hosts the Audible podcast "People, Just People", interviewing guests such as Olivia Colman, Andy Serkis and Richard Curtis, and has fronted shows including "The X Factor", the "BAFTAs" and the "BRITs".

He added: “Writing the Toto the Ninja Cat series has been one of the great joys of my career so far and I’m so excited to continue working with HCG on my brand new project. As a child I loved everything to do with history, so I’m hoping that Linus will ignite that passion for a new generation.

"It’s been wonderful to base a story in an era that has always fascinated me. Linus has an enormous heart and a huge amount of courage – I hope that families enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.”

Powell, the illustrator, has worked on many chart-topping books with authors such as Kes Gray and Simon Farnaby. She illustrated Beth Lincoln’s The Swifts (Puffin) and The King’s Birthday Suit by Peter Bentley (Bloomsbury Children’s Books), which has been nominated for the 2023 Lollies award.