Puffin acquires 'fast-paced, action-packed' middle-grade series from Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie

Puffin has acquired the "fast-paced, action-packed" middle-grade series from Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie. World all-language rights to Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent were negotiated in a two-book deal by Penguin Random House Children’s editorial director Amina Parchment-Youssef and Rachel Petty at The Blair Partnership, and it will be a focus series for Puffin’s Rights team at Frankfurt Book Fair.

The series follows a "normal" boy who discovers he has genetically modified powers and is destined to join an elite yet secret organisation. Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent will be published in paperback, eb-ook and audiobook on 12th March 2026.

The second instalment will follow on an accelerated schedule and publish in September 2026, and the series marks the start of Hamilton-McKenzie’s solo writing career. The publisher said it is "the perfect example of fast-paced, accessible, reading for pleasure storytelling for 8-12-year-olds, ideal for reluctant readers and those who are struggling to find new middle-grade tailored to their tastes and interests".

The synopsis reads: "Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent stars your average 12-year-old boy (though he wishes his arms were less skinny) who lives with his foster mum (his favourite one yet) and likes to game with his best friend Myla. Until one day, everything changes… Jamaal is pulled into a web of secrets and lies, and into a high-stakes mission, where he learns that he has inherited his birth parents’ super strength, speed and heightened senses, and must use these powers to save the world."

Hamilton-McKenzie said: "This is the first story I ever wrote. I’ve always believed this series could be a success, so I’m over the moon to now be at the point where Jamaal’s escapades will soon be shared with the entire world. Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent is not only an action-packed adventure, but a story of a kid uncovering his true identity and a sense of belonging."

Parchment-Youssef said: "I’ve been watching Alex Rider sell on for almost 25 years now and wishing I could find an action-adventure series with that same punch and pacy intrigue for a new generation of readers. So, when Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent landed in my inbox, I was immediately sold."