• Meet the Imprint

Crown Books for Young Readers | August 11, 2014

By Sadie Trombetta (Assistant Publicist, Random House Children's Books)

Debuting next month is the revitalized Crown Books for Young Readers imprint at Random House Children’s Books. When the imprint was first acquired in 1988, it published a full list of children’s books from picture book to young adult. By the mid-90’s, Crown shifted its focus to nonfiction, and by 2006, the Crown list was folded into the Alfred A. Knopf list. But that wasn’t the end of Crown’s children’s books.

In June of 2013, Phoebe Yeh was named the VP and publisher of Crown Books for Young Readers and began acquiring her inaugural list, which includes Kate the Great…. Except When She’s Not, Suzy Becker’s illustrated middle grade novel; Frostborn, the first book in an adventure-filled, Viking-inspired series by debut author Lou Anders; and the middle-grade adaptation of Jon Meacham’s best-selling biography Thomas Jefferson: President and Philosopher. While the list includes some young-adult titles, the imprint will be largely made up of middle-grade fiction and narrative nonfiction that appeal to children and Common Core and curriculum needs. Essentially, Crown publishes books with strong kid interest that incorporate nonfiction into fiction, with that curriculum hook parents and teachers want. Keep your eyes on this imprint as it grows into another cornerstone for the RHCB family.

One exciting upcoming title:
On A Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers
In 2035, young heroes decide that they are not too young or too powerless to change their world in this gripping, futuristic young adult novel.
Published September 2014.

One classic title:
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Part autobiography, part fiction, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture and Harlem in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Published in January 1991.

One series you may not have heard about:
The Left Behinds and the iPhone that Saved George Washington by David Potter
In this humorous time-travel adventure, the first in a series, an iPhone malfunction sends three kids back to 1776 in time to rescue George Washington.
Published January 2015.