Dial Books Hopes For Hit With Lion Boy

Posted on April 4, 2003

Lauri Hornik, Associate Publisher and Editorial Director of Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, won the U.S. and Canadian hardcover and paperback rights to Lion Boy, a children's adventure trilogy written by the writing team of "Zizou Corder" composed of mom, Louisa Young and her ten-year-old daughter, Isabel Adomakoh Young. Lion Boy has already created a loud enough buzz in Britain to garner a feature film option from DreamWorks, SKG.

About the acquistion, Hornik said, "There is so much to love about Lion Boy: clever, outspoken characters, fantasy elements that will appeal to both boys and girls, and a rousing adventure that's an absolute whirlwind. I read the manuscript in one delicious gulp."

The deal, arranged through Derek Johns of AP Watt Ltd, is for three books. Book one, Lion Boy, is being published in the U.K. in October 2003 by Puffin, and Hornik plans for Dial to slate this title onto their Spring 2004 list. An adventure-fantasy novel for ages ten and up, Lion Boy follows ten-year-old Charlie Ashanti as he tracks his kidnapped parents. With his ability to speak the language of cats (since having been scratched by a leopard as a baby), Charlie recruits the stray cats of London -- and eventually the lions aboard a floating circus -- to help him in his search. The writing has been compared to the works of Phillip Pullman and J.K. Rowling.

Zizou Corder is a pen name for the mother/daughter writing team of Louisa Young and ten-year-old Isabel Adomakoh Young and is also the name of Isabel's pet lizard. Isabel provided many of the plot and character details and her mom, put it all to paper.

Penguin Group appears to be hoping for Potter-like success with the new children's book series. Douglas Whiteman, President of Penguin Young Readers Group and Executive Vice President of Penguin Group (USA) said, "In Lion Boy, Penguin Young Readers Group sees the potential for a future full of fantastic, successful, entertaining, classic children's fantasy books that will become the favorite stories of generations."