Simon Lelic pens teen thriller for HCG

Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) has bought a teen thriller by Simon Lelic, who writes adult novels for Penguin Random House.

The Haven is about a boy called Ollie Turner who is snatched from his bed in the middle of the night. Below the streets of London he discovers the Haven, a sanctuary for kids run by kids, and the headquarters of an organisation that fights for justice everywhere.                                

Hodder Children’s Books, an imprint of HCG, will publish the novel in February 2019.

Senior commissioning editor Rachel Wade, who acquired the title in a three-book deal from Caroline Wood at Felicity Bryan Associates, said: “When a master thriller writer for adults decides to plunge whole-heartedly into writing for kids of 12+, the result is bound to be outstanding. I knew I was on to something special when I found myself walking down a crowded street reading The Haven on my kindle, desperate to find out what happened next. Simon has created characters that his readers will yearn to befriend in real life, in a story with the pace and twists of all the best thrillers.”                

Book two will be released in August 2019, followed by book three in February 2020.