‘You Must be Layla’ sells to Puffin UK

Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has sold UK and Commonwealth rights (ex ANZ) to Yassmin Abdel-Magied’s You Must Be Layla to Puffin UK, reports the Bookseller.

Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese-Australian writer, engineer and social advocate, now based in London. Her YA debut follows a 13-year-old schoolgirl as she navigates a new school and sets her sights on winning an invention competition.

PRH Australia senior rights manager Nerrilee Weir sold rights to PRH UK Children’s publisher Ruth Knowles.

Knowles said: ‘Layla isn’t someone we yet see often enough in books for our young people and so we are proud and pleased to give this sparky, incredibly loveable character and her story the chance to charm and entertain fans of Jacqueline Wilson and readers of books like Ella on the Outside.’

‘You Must Be Layla came from a place of wanting to create and share a character that I hadn’t seen in books growing up: a young, Sudanese-Australian kid who was just trying to live her best life,’ said Abdel-Magied. ‘Layla’s story talks to the relatable dramas of family, friendship and school, but also notes the racism and Islamophobia that many young people must take into their stride as part of the diaspora experience.’

You Must Be Layla will be published in the UK in February 2020.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions