Ally Condie, Acclaimed, International Bestselling Author of The Matched Series, to Publish Debut Middle Grade Novel with Penguin Young Readers
New York, NY – June 15, 2015 – Ally Condie, author of the critically-acclaimed, international bestselling Matched trilogy, will publish her debut middle grade novel SUMMERLOST, with Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, on April 5, 2016. The deal, for North American rights, was brokered by Jodi Reamer, Writers House and Julie Strauss-Gabel, Vice President and Publisher, Dutton Children’s Books. The book will have a first printing of 100,000.
This profoundly moving middle grade novel tells the story of 12-year-old Cedar who, following the sudden, tragic deaths of her father and younger brother, grapples with grief and acceptance during her summer working for the renowned Summerlost Shakespearean theater company.
Ally Condie says, “I wrote Summerlost about a girl named Cedar, who is dealing with the heartbreak of a family tragedy. Just when she needs it most, she finds herself surprised by the wonderful, magical feeling of falling into an unexpected friendship. During the pivotal summer in the novel, Cedar also explores long-held mysteries within her community and concerning those she loves.”
Critically-acclaimed author Ally Condie is known for her spare, poetic prose and inventive storytelling. In 2010, her “superb” (Wall Street Journal) novel Matched became one of the most talked-about books of the year, garnering multiple starred reviews and widespread critical acclaim. Entertainment Weekly raved, “Matched is the hottest YA title to hit bookstores since The Hunger Games.” Matched was chosen as one of YALSA’s 2011 Teens’ Top Ten and named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2010. The sequels, CROSSED and REACHED, were also critically-acclaimed and received starred reviews, and all three books are available in 30+ languages.
A former English teacher, she lives with her husband and four children outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, writing, running, and listening to her husband play guitar.
Penguin Young Readers is one of the leading children’s book publishers in the United States. The company owns a wide range of imprints and trademarks including Dial Books, Dutton, Grosset & Dunlap, Philomel, Puffin, Speak, Firebird, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Viking, Razorbill, and Frederick Warne. These imprints are home to such award-winning, New York Times- bestselling authors as Laurie Halse Anderson, Jay Asher, Judy Blume, Jan Brett, Eric Carle, Ally Condie, Roald Dahl, Tomie dePaola, Sarah Dessen, Anna Dewdney, John Flanagan, Gayle Forman John Green, Oliver Jeffers, Mike Lupica, Richelle Mead, B.J. Novak, Richard Peck, Judy Schachner, Jacqueline Woodson and dozens of other popular authors. Penguin Young Readers Group is also the proud publisher of perennial brand franchises such as The Little Engine That Could, the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, Peter Rabbit, Spot, the Classic Winnie the Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Strega Nona, Madeline, Mad Libs, Alex Rider, the Rangers Apprentice, Skippyjon Jones, Flower Fairies, and Pippi Longstocking, among many others. Penguin Young Readers Group is a division of Penguin Group LLC, a Penguin Random House company.
Penguin Random House (http://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/) is the world’s most global trade book publisher. It was formed on July 1, 2013, upon the completion of an agreement between Bertelsmann and Pearson to merge their respective trade publishing companies, Random House and Penguin, with the parent companies owning 53% and 47%, respectively. Penguin Random House comprises the adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital trade book publishing businesses of Penguin and Random House in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa, and Penguin’s trade publishing activity in Asia and Brazil; DK worldwide; and Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial’s Spanish-language companies in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile. Penguin Random House employs more than 10,000 people globally across almost 250 editorially and creatively independent imprints and publishing houses that collectively publish more than 15,000 new titles annually. Its publishing lists include more than 70 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors.
