Hachette Children’s Group wins Ramzee’s debut series in seven-way auction

Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) has acquired The Cheat Book, a highly illustrated middle-grade series from debut author-illustrator Ramzee, in a seven-way auction.

Nazima Abdillahi, commissioning editor, acquired world rights from Rachel Petty at The Blair Partnership. The first title in the three-book deal will be published in June 2024 and will be supported with a “stellar” marketing and publicity campaign.

The series will follow 11-year-old Kamal Noor who is better than anyone else in his school at fading into the background. But, after a major puke incident in front of the whole school, being invisible is no longer an option. And when Kamal finds the Cheat Book in the library, which promises to help him gain popularity, he sees a chance to finally make his mark…

Abdillahi said: “Ramzee is an incredible talent, and he has created hilarious and loveable characters in Kamal, his family and friends. He handles topics of immigration, bullying and peer pressure with such humour and heart. Ramzee’s passion is evident not only in his work but in the workshops he runs to inspire young people to pick up a pencil and start creating. I am absolutely honoured to be bringing The Cheat Book to readers young and old."

Ramzee (Ramsey Hassan) is an author-illustrator based in London. He has written comic books for 2000 AD and Marvel, and designs and runs his own comics and illustration workshops. He was nominated for a British Comics Award in 2016, won second prize in the Faber Children’s FAB Prize in 2017, was selected to take part in the Vaults Festival New Writers Programme in 2019 and recently was chosen for the BBC’s London Voices Writer’s Room Programme.

He said: “The idea of a zany book about a Black Muslim refugee kid who stumbles upon the cheat codes to popularity was something I’ve been playing around with for a while. I wanted to create something exuberant and cartoony that would’ve appealed to my 10-year-old self and readers like me, and I’m super hyped to introduce the world to Kamal and all his hijinks!"

Petty said: “For a book about a kid trying to be cool, The Cheat Book is one of the coolest things I’ve ever read. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Kamal and his mysterious book!”