We’re so thrilled to announce the agency’s first graphic novel, a middle grade debut by author-illustrator Dean Stuart, has been pre-empted by Liza Kaplan at Penguin Random House / Philomel.
The Man Who Lives Inside His Head was snapped up in a two book deal for publication in Summer 2022 with Kaplan saying “This is truly a one-of-a-kind project and I’m just blown away.”
On a quest to find her missing grandpa who suffers from dementia, Cassi wanders into the forest. There, she is shocked to discover a secret house containing the rooms that make up her grandfather’s memories, and realizes she can walk through the past to find the parts of her grandpa that have been lost to his disease.
Stuart said of the project, “I wanted to write this book as a way for kids to navigate their relationship with their loved one suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s. Witnessing my father go through the transitions of the disease gave me insight into the challenges he faced and made me wonder what he was experiencing in his mind. I was fascinated by the power of memory, how my father could seemingly time traveling through his past, recalling events in vivid detail, as if these memories he could walk into at his leisure. I want this book to be about finding that bit of hope and holding onto the good times with their loved one who is suffering.”
Huge congratulations, Dean! We cannot wait for your gorgeous debut to hit shelves.
