Debut author Avione Lee’s Middle-Grade fantasy, Min and the Perilous Pipe, has been acquired by Krista Vitola at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in a two-book deal. Pitched as Amari and the Night Brothers meets Nevermoor, and inspired by the Pied Piper fairytale, the story centers around a boy discovering his lost magical culture and finding his place in a dangerous, new world. Publication is slated for 2024; Chloe Seager negotiated the deal for North American rights. Lee’s second book is an untitled Middle Grade novel.
We are so proud of Avione, one of our inaugural mentees from the Madeleine Milburn Mentorship Programme. In 2020, the mentorship was awarded to six outstanding writers across the genres of adult and children’s fiction: Sophia Spiers, Nigar Alam, Ronali Collings, Sophie Jo, Avione Lee and Francesca Robbins. We’re over the moon that all the mentees who have gone on submission have now received a book deal, a testament to their talent, craft, and hard work.
On the mentorship scheme, Avione said:‘The Madeleine Milburn Mentorship program has truly been a spectacular experience. The guidance I have had on my manuscript, as well as the once-in-a-lifetime introduction to the publishing industry, is worth more than can be fulfilled with words.’
Congratulations on the fantastic news, Avione! We can’t wait for Min and the Perilous Pipe to hit the shelves!
