HCG signs MG deal with debut author Justin Davies

Hachette Children’s Group has acquired two middle-grade fiction titles by debut author Justin Davies.

The first book, Help! I Smell a Monster, is about a girl called Alice who is sent to stay with her Uncle Magnus. She soon realises her uncle’s job isn’t normal, because he helps monsters find work that makes the most of their unique talents. But when Cyclops the pastry chef disappears Alice and Magnus must find the missing monster before its too late.

Help! I Smell a Monster will publish on 30th May on the Orchard Books list and a second, Woah! I Spy a Werewolf, will follow in January. Both will be illustrated by Kim Geyer.

Anne Marie Ryan, commissioning editor, said: "We are so excited to be publishing Help! I Smell a Monster! Justin is a high flyer in more than one way! His debut is laugh-out-loud funny with a whiff of danger – a frightfully good combination, with Kim Geyer’s brilliant illustrations bringing the monster world to life."                                   

The deal for world rights was brokered between senior commissioning editor Sarah Leonard and Thérèse Coen at Hardman & Swainson.