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Scholastic wins four-way auction for James Fox's 'extraordinary' debut
Scholastic has triumphed in a four-way auction for The Boy in the Suit, a "humorous, sensitively empathetic" middle-grade story from debut author James Fox.
Fiction publisher Lauren Fortune acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Chloe Seager at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. The novel will be published as Scholastic’s lead middle-grade debut this autumn, with a nine-month marketing and PR campaign.
"It’s not often you find a story that makes you laugh out loud on one page and sob on the next", said Seager. "James’ heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting novel, told with sharp humour and insight, is a truly special debut."
The synopsis for The Boy in the Suit reads: "Ten-year-old Solo – embarrassingly, not short for anything – just wants to be normal. He wants a name that doesn’t stand out. He wishes he had a proper school uniform that fits. He dreams about having a mum who doesn’t get The Big Bad Reds. But most of all he longs to stop crashing funerals for free food. When Solo and his mum Morag crash a celebrity’s funeral they get caught and splashed across the papers. Before Solo knows it, he is a viral sensation, and life may never be normal again. What follows is Solo’s uphill pursuit of security, and connection, while navigating circumstances far beyond his control towards an unforgettable uplifting ending."
Fox said: “I wanted to write a story about a family navigating difficult circumstances that felt true to life, with all its ups and downs. Thanks to Chloe’s and Lauren’s belief in this story, a window has been opened on to these characters’ unique circumstances, and I can’t wait for readers to look through it."
Fortune added: “This deeply moving, kind, funny book has captured the hearts of everyone at Scholastic. It is a truly extraordinary debut – to read this story is to love it, to drop everything to talk about it, to passionately want young readers to fall for it too. James handles the timely and relevant story of a boy struggling during the cost-of-living crisis with great warmth and skill. You care so much about these characters, and the ending will stay with me forever. This book is heartbreaking and life-affirming in the very best tradition of Jacqueline Wilson, Helen Rutter and Lisa Thompson, and we are beyond proud to be publishing it.”
