HCG set for 'hilarious' summer with two from Rosie Jones

Hachette Children's Group has signed a two-book deal with stand-up comedian Rosie Jones. 

Polly Lyall Grant, commissioning editor, acquired world rights from Flo Howard at Off The Kerb. The first book in the series, The Amazing Edie Eckhart, will be published on the Hodder Children’s Books imprint on the 5th August 2021.

The middle-grade series, to be illustrated by Natalie Smillie, will follow 11-year-old Edie, as inspired by the author's own experiences of navigating a school with cerebral palsy. 

The synopsis reads: "Edie has cerebral palsy, but she’s used to it because she’s spent her whole life being a bit wobbly. Edie can’t wait to start secondary school with her best friend Oscar and continue sharing sausage rolls with him at breaktime. But when Oscar scuppers these plans by getting his first ever girlfriend, gross, Edie eventually decides to stop feeling sorry for herself and find a boyfriend, so she can prove to Oscar she’s grown up too. But while she’s plotting to get a boyfriend, she accidentally gets cast as the lead role in the school play. As Edie devotes her time to the performing arts, she finds a new friend, as well as talents – and feelings – she never knew she had."

Grant commented: "I’ve been a huge fan of Rosie’s comedy for years and I was certain that Rosie would have a fantastic voice for character-led fiction. There isn’t nearly enough disability representation in children’s books, and I’m proud to be working with Rosie to launch a series with Edie Eckhart as the lead – she’s laugh-out-loud hilarious and has captured my heart. I can’t wait for readers to discover just how amazing she is."

Jones said: "I am so excited for the world to meet Edie! When I was younger, I inhaled books, and reading has always been my one true love. But I never saw myself in books. I never came across a character who was brilliant, funny, flawed and just happened to have a disability. That's why I've written The Amazing Edie Eckhart. It is so important for children to know that being a little bit wobbly or 'different' doesn't stop somebody from achieving greatness!"