Rundell’s MG novels to be published under one roof at Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury Children’s Books has licensed Katherine Rundell’s first two middle-grade novels from Faber and Faber, including the multiple award-winning adventure Rooftoppers.

The deal marks the start of a high-profile, year-long campaign to bring Rundell's adventures to a wider audience than ever before, with Bloomsbury co-ordinating strategy across all the novels for the first time.

The new edition of Rooftoppers will publish on 28th May and is the start of a "repackaging strategy for Rundell, bringing her books–each with a brand-new author’s note–into one clear brand direction", said Bloomsbury.

The highlight of the year will be the publication of The Good Thieves in paperback for the first time on 3rd September, following today’s announcement that it is shortlisted for the Children’s Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards.

Rundell has now sold over 480,000 books through UK TCM with a value of £3.3 million, including 200,000 copies of The Explorer and 120,000 copies of Rooftoppers.

The new-look covers will be illustrated by Marie-Alice Harel, recent winner of the Folio Society’s Book Illustration competition 2019 for her edition of Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

Ellen Holgate, head of fiction at Bloomsbury Children’s Books, said: “Katherine is the best children’s author in a generation and one whose stories become instant classics. We believe every child should go on an adventure with Katherine Rundell and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to get that message out to even more readers.”

Photo credit: Nina Subin