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Scholastic dances away with two from Diversity’s Ashley and Jordan Banjo
Scholastic UK has acquired two middle-grade books from TV personalities and Diversity dance collective members Ashley and Jordan Banjo.
Lauren Fortune, fiction publisher, acquired world rights from Paul Moreton at Bell, Lomax, Moreton. The first title in the deal, Fly High Crew: the Green Glow, will be published in April 2021.
Written in collaboration with Alexandra Sheppard, Fly High Crew will follow brothers Trey and Jax who spend after-school hours rehearsing with their street dance collective, the Fly High Crew. One evening, practice is interrupted when they see a weird green beam of light flash down out of the sky which makes all the adults in their lives suddenly start behaving very strangely indeed... Aliens have landed and are mind-controlling the parents and teachers as part of their mission for galactic domination; can the Fly High Crew work together as a team to foil their extra-terrestrial plan?
The Banjo brothers commented: "We’re so excited to be joining the Scholastic family and have our own book! We’ve always told stories in our own way through our dance and through our shows, so to have the opportunity to bring a story to life that we genuinely love is awesome. We can’t wait for kids everywhere to read it and see what else the Banjo Brothers can do!"
Fortune added: "I can’t wait for young readers to join the over out-of-this-world foes: it’s middle-grade magic. Ashley and Jordan are creative powerhouses who are passionate about empowering young people, and we are thrilled to deliver their inclusive, uplifting message with The Fly High Crew."
Ashley Banjo is the founder of street dance collective Diversity, which won ITV's "Britain’s Got Talent" in 2009, he is also a judge on ITV's "Dancing On Ice" and "Britain’s Got Talent". Jordan Banjo is a member of Diversity and presented BBC One's "The Greatest Dancer" and is currently the presenter on KISS FM's "Breakfast with Jordan & Perri".
Sheppard is the author of Oh My Gods (Scholastic, 2019).
