FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ST. PAUL, MN – Kelsy Thompson at Jolly Fish Press has bought U.S., Canada, and Philippines rights for the award-winning, middle-grade Cogheart Adventures trilogy by UK author Peter Bunzl, which includes: Cogheart, Moonlocket, and Sky Circus. Publication is planned for spring 2019, fall 2019, and spring 2020. Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary Management brokered the deal on behalf of Jo Williamson at Antony Harwood Limited. Cogheart was first published in the UK in fall 2016 by Usborne Publishing Ltd.

The adventure begins in Cogheart as strong-willed Lily seeks the truth behind her inventor father’s disappearance with the help of Robert (a local clockmaker’s son) and an over-opinionated mechanical pet fox created by Lily’s father. Murder, mayhem, and mystery collide with airships and a bit of steampunk in this fantastical Victorian world.

More about Cogheart:

Lily’s life is in mortal peril. Her father is missing and now silver-eyed men stalk her through the shadows. What could they want from her? With her friends – Robert, the clockmaker’s son, and Malkin, her mechanical pet fox – Lily is plunged into a murky and menacing world. Too soon Lily realizes that those she holds dear may be the very ones to break her heart…

Murder, mayhem and mystery meet in this gripping Victorian adventure.

Awards and Nominations

• Winner of the Awesome Book Award 2018
• Winner of the Dudley Teen Book Award 2017
• Winner of the Sefton Super Reads Award 2017
• Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, August 2016
• Shortlisted for the Waterstones Book Prize 2017
• Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2017
• Nominee for the Cilip Carnegie Medal 2018
• Cogheart was selected as one of 70 books donated to 70 schools by the National Literacy Trust to celebrate The Duchess of Cornwall’s 70th birthday.
• Other 2017 nominations: The Haringey Children’s Book Award, Hillingdon Primary Book of the Year, Leeds Book Award, Warwickshire Junior Book Award, the North East Book Award, the Stockport Children’s Book Award.
• Other 2018 nominations: St.Helens Schools Library Service Book Awards: BASH, Salford Junior Book Award, Stockton Children’s Book of the Year.

Praise for Cogheart:

• “A gem of a book.” — Katherine Woodfine, author of The Clockwork Sparrow
• “A glittering clockwork treasure” — Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild Trilogy
• “An instant classic… full of thrills, spills, and mechanical foxes.” — Down the Rabbit Hole
• “A steampunky tale of ambition, pursuit and revenge.” — The Guardian
• “a gripping story” –“a steampunk adventure with a determined heroine and compelling twists” — Claire Hennessy, The Irish Times
• “an imaginative tour-de-force” — Sinéad O’Hart, The Irish Times
• “What if Earth were full of clockwork creatures instead of monsters? Cogheart goes beyond steam-punk to imagine a world as weirdly inventive as Philip Pullman’s Clockwork and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner… Marvellous fun for nine-plus readers.” — The New Statesman
• “A magnificent, standout modern classic, an exhilarating epic that offers fun, adventure and pure escapism for anyone aged between nine and ninety. Not be missed!” — Lancashire Evening Post
• “A really wonderful steampunk story that reminded me of Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines series. It’s pacy and exciting, and I loved the world that Peter has built.” — Robin Stevens, author of the Murder Most Unladylike series
• “Vivid and gripping…a beautifully-drawn world and delicate detailing, as finely wrought as a watch’s workings.” — Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of Girl of Ink and Stars
• “A delightfully badly behaved heroine, enthralling mechanicals and a stormer of a plot.” — Abi Elphinstone, author of The Dreamsnatcher
• “A classic adventure in every way I love – machines, Victoriana and high, pulse-pounding thrills. It’s got real heart too.” — Rob Lloyd Jones, author of Wild Boy
• “Totally bewitched me.” – Holly Bourne, author of Am I Normal Yet?
• “One of my favourite debuts of the year. Murder, mystery and mayhem in a thrilling Victorian adventure.” — Fiona Noble, The Bookseller

About the author:

Peter grew up in South London in a rambling Victorian house with three cats, two dogs, one sister, an antique-dealer dad and an artist mum. He is a BAFTA-winning animator, as well as a writer and film-maker. Like Lily and Robert, he loves adventures and reading penny dreadfuls, but wishes dearly that he had a mechanical fox called Malkin.

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About Jolly Fish Press and North Star Editions
Jolly Fish Press, an imprint of North Star Editions, is dedicated to promoting exceptional, unique new voices in children’s fiction. North Star Editions, Inc. publishes fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages that inspires, informs, and entertains. For more information, visit jollyfishpress.com or northstareditions.com.