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Scholastic pre-empts 'offbeat' middle-grade series from Bowie
Scholastic UK has announced its biggest middle-grade series launch of 2024, Nina Peanut, by author and illustrator Sarah Bowie.
Lauren Fortune, fiction publisher at Scholastic UK, swooped in to pre-empt world rights (excluding US and Canada) in three Nina Peanut books from Lydia Silver at Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency. Publication will be marked with a major consumer marketing, schools and PR campaign.
The synopsis reads: “Meet Nina Peanut—superstar in the making, frozen pizza chef, creative genius, owner of the world’s stinkiest cat. Nina creates amazing videos—so why is it only her nan and best friend Brian who watch them? Surely everyone should be interested in her videos about potatoes with faces? Nina dreams about being as popular as class queen bee Megan Dunne, who films her pampered dog, Princess Trixie Bell. So when Nina’s stinky cat Les wanders into one of Megan’s videos by accident, and it goes viral, Nina and Les are suddenly internet famous. But is overnight stardom as wonderful as Nina always imagined it would be?”
The first book will be published in March 2024, followed by the second in September 2024 and the third in spring 2025.
Bowie said: “I’m thrilled to have found the perfect home for [Nina Peanut] in Scholastic. For years I’ve watched as they have published author after incredible author, ranging from the hilariously funny to the creatively innovative. I know Lauren and her team will do an amazing job.”
Fortune added: “Nina Peanut is a ray of sunshine and the most must-have submission I’ve received for an age. The warm, offbeat humour, gorgeous full-colour art and fantastic cast of characters brought joy to the entire team here. We moved fast to pre-empt and have big plans for launching Sarah Bowie and Nina into the middle grade market. This book shines with true child appeal, with themes of friendship, family, big dreams and brilliant pets.”
Bowie is a writer and illustrator from Ireland. She is also an arts educator and runs workshops in schools on comic-making, visual storytelling and doodling for wellbeing. She is co-founder of the Comics Lab and of Ireland’s first Graphic Short Story Prize in partnership with the Irish Times. Nina Peanut is her debut middle grade.
