HCG triumphs at auction for Faturoti's middle-grade debut

Hachette Children's Group has won a three-way auction for Sadé and Her Shadow Beasts, an illustrated middle grade debut about grief and the healing power of imagination from Rachel Faturoti, plus two other titles. 

Polly Lyall-Grant, commissioning editor, secured world rights in a three-book deal made with Lauren Gardner at Bell Lomax Moreton. Sadé and Her Shadow Beasts will be published in paperback, e-book and audio on 7th July 2022 on the Hodder Children’s Books imprint, and two more titles will follow in 2023 and 2024. 

Suitable for readers aged nine-plus, the synopsis reads: "Sadé and Her Shadow Beasts follows 12-year-old Sadé after her mum passes away. Her dad isn’t ready to talk about the memories of Sadé’s mum, so she finds herself escaping frequently to her own imaginary world. But scary beasts live there, and soon they seep into her real world too. As it becomes harder to separate the real from the imaginary, Sadé’s anxiety worsens. But with the help of her sisters, an anonymous grief counselling group at school, and the power of spoken word, can Sadé find the courage to stop the beasts once and for all?"

Faturoti is a YA and children's fiction writer, editor and poet with a passion for broadening the scope of authentic Black representation in YA and children's fiction. She will publish her YA debut Finding Folkshore with Jacaranda Books in 2022. 

She said: "Sadé and Her Shadow Beasts is a very special story to me as I want my readers to know that it’s OK not to be OK. Polly and the amazing team at Hachette Children’s Group have been and continue to be wonderful. I can’t wait to see where this book goes."

Lyall-Grant commented: "Rachel has written a gorgeous story with a protagonist that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. Sadé worries that she’s too quiet, but it’s her thoughtful nature that enables her to create her own big, colourful world, which helps her to process a myriad of emotions following the death of a parent. Rachel’s filmic style transports readers between worlds seamlessly and makes the important yet difficult theme of grief accessible for this age group. We are very proud to be Rachel’s middle-grade publisher, and we can’t wait to introduce readers to more of Rachel’s worlds in the years to follow."