Walker Books acquires Bell's new fantasy series inspired by gaming, science and Pokémon

Walker Books has acquired Magicalia, Jennifer Bell’s new fantasy middle-grade series inspired by gaming, science and Pokémon. 

Publishing director Denise Johnstone-Burt and senior editor Megan Middleton acquired world rights for the first four books in the series from Polly Nolan at PaperCuts Literary Agency & Consultancy. The book will have cover artwork and chapter illustrations by David Wyatt.

The series is described as "a riveting blend of adventure, STEM and magic", and the first book, Magicalia: Race of Wonders, will publish in May 2024, backed by a high-profile marketing and publicity campaign. The second book in the series will publish in February 2025.

The synopsis says: "When her dad is kidnapped by a woman with a giant purple hamster-like creature, Bitsy and best friend Kosh are swept into a secret world of ancient meteorites and strange beasts called magicores. They soon discover that each magicore is conjured using a different emotion.

"With the help of a powerful bestiary called Magicalia, the friends must quickly become conjurors themselves, learning to channel their emotional energy to create fantastical creatures, before following a trail of clues that will take them from London to India to Paris, in a race to rescue Bitsy’s dad from a mysterious villain."

Bell worked as a children’s bookseller at Foyles before becoming an author. Her debut novel, The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence (Penguin Random House Children’s), was a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month. She is also the author of Wonderscape (Walker Books), which was selected as a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, and its companion title Legendarium (Walker Books), as well as Agents of the Wild (Walker Books), an adventure series for younger readers. 

Bell said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the talented team at Walker Books will be publishing Magicalia. Their passion and dedication to producing brilliant books for readers of all ages has long inspired me and I’m thrilled that Magicalia will be on their list. I can’t wait for readers to discover the surprising world of magicores, to learn about springles and doomicorns and bundlers and fidglets, and to be swept away on an adventure like no other!”

Johnstone-Burt commented: “As soon as Jennifer Bell shared her idea for Magicalia, this incredible magical world full of extraordinary creatures all linked to different emotions, we knew we had something special with huge sales potential. Pokémon inspires this hugely imaginative series that is bursting with adventure and which has the brilliant STEM twist that we have come to expect from Jen.

"The whole team at Walker are full of excitement for this spectacular series and we cannot wait for children to discover Magicalia next summer.”