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UCLan Publishing scoops early readers series from Storymix
UCLan Publishing has scooped an early readers series from FutureBook award-winning creative development agency Storymix.
Hazel Holmes, publisher, bought world rights to the Magic Faces series from Jasmine Richards, founder of Storymix. The first title, Heroes of the Pirate Ship, will publish in March 2023.
The series, for five-year-olds and upwards, was conceived in the first lockdown of 2020 by Richards when she and her children used face paints to imagine fantasy worlds. This idea has been brought to life by new author talent Stella Botchway, writing as Esi Merleh, and illustrator Abeeha Tariq, with rights acquired from Ash Literary.
The synopsis says: “Simply by opening the box of face paints, adventure waits for Austin, Alanna and sausage dog Ozzy. In Heroes of the Pirate Ship, they must find a golden treasure chest before their time in this imaginary world runs out. When two very suspicious pirates climb aboard the "New Leaf" ship and start snooping around, Austin and Alanna know they must help their crewmates… can they save the ship and complete their mission on time?”
The second and third title in the series publish in June 2023 and September 2023 respectively.
Richards said: “This is a series that celebrates a positive and joyful sibling bond, and a family set-up that is not often represented in kid’s fiction. It has been simply magic to work with such a talented writer and UCLan Publishing to create this standout package.”
Merleh added: “I’m honoured to be working on Magic Faces with Storymix and UCLan. It’s been a dream come true to bring these exciting stories to life. Face painting is fantastic for igniting a creative spirit in children, and I love that we are firing up the imagination of the next generation.”
Holmes also commented: “It’s been such fun working with Storymix on this new chapter book offering. Abeeha Tariq’s full colour illustrations have added a special kind of magic to Stella’s words. I can’t wait for this to hit the shelves.”
