NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperCollins
Publishers announced today the acquisition of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
Tahereh Mafi's new stand-alone
novel, A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA, set for publication on
October 16th, 2018.
North American rights were sold to Tara Weikum, Vice President, Editorial Director
at HarperCollins Children's Books, from Jodi Reamer at Writers House, LLC.
A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA is a contemporary
#ownvoices novel about a hijab-wearing Muslim teenager in a
post-9/11 world, who deals with Islamophobia while simultaneously
falling in love for the first time. Tahereh's bestselling dystopian
Shatter Me series has built an enthusiastic fan base of readers
around the world with over a million copies sold in all formats of
the series here in the US while being translated into over 25
languages. A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA is based on the author's own
life and it's the book that her fans have been waiting for her to
write.
It's 2002, a year after 9/11, and Shirin has just started at yet
another new high school. It's an extremely turbulent time
politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a
sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who's tired of being stereotyped.
Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She's
tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the
physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her
religion, and the hijab she wears every day.
So she's built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone
close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in
music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her
brother. But then she meets Ocean James. He's the first
person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin.
It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable
worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she's not
sure she'll ever be able to let it down.
"A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA is definitely the most
autobiographical novel I've written to date," Tahereh Mafi said. "It's inspired by my
experiences in high school and the years I spent break-dancing with
my brothers. I feel like I've been writing this book in my head for
many years now, and it feels really good to have finally put it
down on paper."
Tara Weikum, Vice President &
Editorial Director at HarperCollins added, "This book is just the
kind of #ownvoices novel that Tahereh's readers are clamoring
for—it spotlights her talent for creating dizzying, heart-wrenching
romance, highlights highly relevant issues of xenophobia that are
prevalent in society today, and stars a whip-smart protagonist
anyone will be able to identify with."
HarperCollins pre-empted this acquisition for the publication
here in the US, as there were eight additional publishers
interested in acquiring the novel. UK/Commonwealth rights have
already sold to Lindsey Heaven,
Editorial Director at Egmont UK, by Cecilia
De La Campa at Writers House for simultaneous publication.
Egmont will be launching her Shatter Me series and this new title
as a major event this year.
Tahereh Mafi is the
New York Times and
USA Today bestselling
author of the Shatter Me series, Whichwood, and
Furthermore. She can usually be found over-caffeinated and
stuck in a book. You can find her online just about anywhere at
@TaherehMafi or on her website, www.taherehbooks.com.
HarperCollins Children's Books is one
of the leading publishers of children's and teen books. Respected
worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning
books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless
treasures and bestsellers, such as Charlotte's Web, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where
the Wild Things Are, The Graveyard Book, and series including
The Chronicles of Narnia, Ramona, Warriors, Pete the Cat, Fancy
Nancy, Divergent, and The Selection. Consistently at the forefront
of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children's Books delights
readers through engaging storytelling in all formats, including
e-books and apps. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of
HarperCollins Publishers, which is the second largest consumer book
publisher in the world, has operations in 18 countries, and is a
subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). You
can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at
www.harpercollinschildrens.com and www.epicreads.com and
HarperCollins Publishers at corporate.HC.com.
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SOURCE HarperCollins Children's Books