Piccadilly Press, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired all four books in Dhonielle Clayton’s The Marvellers series after seeing a tweet from Dhonielle that said she was disappointed the series had not been picked up by any UK publishers. The tweet saw multiple UK authors engaging with the continued challenges facing authors of colour.
Senior Commissioning Editor Ruth Bennett acquired UK and Commonwealth print, digital and audio rights, excluding ANZ, from Macmillan US.
The Marvellers is Dhonielle Clayton’s Middle Grade debut and was an instant New York Times and #1 indie bestseller. It is the first book in a fantasy adventure series set in a magic school in the sky full of young people from every corner of the world who can do marvelous things. With the characters and world gorgeously imagined through Khadijah Khatib’s cover artwork and internal illustrations.
Ruth Bennett said: ‘“In The Marvellers, Dhonielle has created a fantasy adventure of scope and ambition, drawing on both the world around us and her boundless imaginative powers. This book will captivate readers and show them the joy of being swept away by a story. I cannot wait for young people to explore the magic school in the sky with Ella, to hold their breath as she faces grave danger and – above all – to fall in love with this wondrous world, as I have done. And with further books in the series to come, Dhonielle shows that for the Marvellers, the sky is not even the limit!”’
Dhonielle Clayton said: ‘I’m thrilled that The Marvellers has found a home in the UK with the amazing Ruth Bennett at Bonnier Books UK. I’d lost hope, thinking the UK didn’t have room for a new magic school, and that the Arcanum Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors wouldn’t get a chance to open its sky-doors for young British readers. Now, I’m so excited to invite UK readers into the Marvellerverse, a magical universe full of young people from all over the world who can do extraordinary things. Welcome to the future of magic school. I hope you come to call it home’
Macmillian US added: ‘Macmillan US are so pleased to be partnering with Piccadilly Press as there is much more to come in this magnificent world Dhonielle has created!’
Dhonielle Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author of The Marvellers, The Belles series, Shattered Midnight, co-author of Blackout, and the co-author of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, a Netflix original series. She hails from the Washington, D.C. suburbs on the Maryland side. She taught secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books, and President of Cake Creative, an IP story kitchen dedicated to diverse books for all ages. She’s an avid traveller, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief.
The Marvellers will publish 5th January 2023 in paperback, ebook and audio with Piccadilly Press publishing the second book simultaneously with the US.
